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that has affected the marginalized races in the past and negotiating the inequities that
are causing the continuance of the achievement gap. The administrators also have
the task of looking at the inequities within particular populations, such as special
education, diverse languages (bilingualism), and gifted and talented services (Lewis
& Boswell, 2020). These challenges provide some explanation for the low numbers
of diverse principals nationally in rural districts.
Similar to TEA, the NCES (2023) indicates that most principals in rural public
schools (approximately 89.7%) are White. Thus, the percentage of minorities remains
drastically low. The data indicate that only 1.4% and .8% of rural school principals
are Hispanic and Black, respectively. These data showcase the reoccurring theme
that, even among minorities, lack of diversity exists within rural principals.

Role of Rural Principals in Supporting Diverse Students
Despite the complexities of being a rural school administrator, data suggest that
most rural administrators come from rural areas. Pendola and Fuller (2022) found
that a majority of rural principals come from rural backgrounds. In addition, most
rural school leaders tend to stay in rural areas, creating rural intramobility. That is,
if they transfer to another school, often the new school is also in a rural area. Such
intramobility illustrates the preferences for working in a rural area.
The rise of rural intramobility creates a stumbling block along lines of both
race and gender for those who seek to enter rural spaces as school leaders. Many
rural districts have solid, district-specific expectations. If one is not from a rural area,
becoming acculturated to the school district’s expectations will make the job harder.
To avoid this process, many females and people of color do not apply to work in rural
spaces (Yang et al., 2021). Many leadership preparation programs focus heavily on
incorporating rural-focused practices into their curriculum. Educational leadership
preparation programs strongly emphasize
coaching, mentoring, and possible place-based
residencies. Research by Leithwood et al. (2010)
When a rural school has showed that such programs helped leaders become

the opportunity of having more effective once guided. Effective leadership
serves as a catalyst for long-term improvement
diverse faculty, students (Herman et al., 2016) and a critical bridge between
implementing most educational-reform initiatives
learn of various cultural and and having those reforms make a genuine
difference for all students (Leithwood et al., 2010).
social groups. Diverse and effective leadership positively impacts

students. It also dramatically impacts retention,
recruitment, climate, and community (Equity in
the Center, 2020; Grissom et al., 2021).

Role of Rural Teachers in Supporting Diverse Students
Research studies indicate that rural teachers face similar benefits and challenges
as do principals when working in rural settings, particularly in reference to having
a diverse workplace. When a rural school has the opportunity of having diverse
faculty, students learn of various cultural and social groups. The opportunities also
prepare students to become more accepting of others, ultimately becoming better

10 The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin: International Journal for Professional Educators