Instructional Leadership in a Rural State: How Position and Rurality Influence Supervision, Professional Growth, and Evaluation

This mixed methods study examined the perceptions of teachers and principals in a rural northern state regarding supervision, professional growth, and summative evaluation practices. The following five research questions were developed for the purpose of the study, namely: 1) What are teachers’ perceptions of the supervision, professional growth, and evaluation provided by principals?; 2) What are principals’ perceptions of the supervision, professional growth, and evaluation they provide to teachers?; 3) How do the perceptions of teachers and principals differ regarding the supervision, professional growth, and evaluation provided by principals?; 4) What are the perceptions of rural educators about the supervision, professional growth, and evaluation provided by principals based on NCES locale codes?; and 5) How can the perceptions of educators regarding supervision, professional growth, and evaluation practices be used to help enhance teacher performance? Results provide implications for rural state policymakers, future research, practitioners, and rural facing education preparation programs.