Research question: How do principals of small rural schools in Iceland and Australia build the leadership capacity of their staff?

This study builds on a set of Australian case studies exploring the impact of Place on the work of principals and of the importance of Place in the preparation and development of principals. Two countries are chosen for this study because of their similarities. First, Iceland and Australia are characterised by low density (3 person per sq km), geographic and climatic extremes, and the large numbers of small schools. Second, urbanisation is a feature of both countries, leading to the closure and amalgamation of rural schools. Third, the relationship between schools and their administering authorities in each context is changing, with consequences for the expectations of principals (Rúnar Sigþórsson, 1995; Wildy & Louden, 2000) and concerns about differences in students outcomes across rural-urban settings (Panizzon & Pegg, 2007). However, there are differences between the two contexts in terms of the place of the school as social institution and this study aims to investigate this cultural aspect of the contexts. For example, in Iceland major elementary school reforms in the late 60s and 70s challenged long established views of education that were deeply rooted in rural culture, practices and pedagogies influenced by story-telling, the medieval Icelandic Sagas and religion (Ólafsson, 2001). Full-time, formal elementary education in Iceland is a relatively recent phenomenon, often begrudgingly accepted in rural areas where high levels of literacy were already commonplace. In contrast, although the Western influence in Australia stretches fewer than 250 years, throughout that time the British tradition of local schooling as a formal institution has been a central feature of the cultural landscape.

The work of the principal of a small rural school is worthy of study for a number of reasons. In Iceland around one third of schools can be classified as “fámennir skólar”. In Australia approximately one quarter of all schools are classified as small, some with fewer than 10 students, and these are situated in regional, rural and remote locations. Principals here typically begin their principalship in such schools and until 2012 have received no formal preparation. Furthermore, in both settings, novice principals are also teaching principals, dividing their time between the classroom and the office. Due to low enrolments, small schools do not qualify for administrative support in the same way that larger schools do and yet the principal is required to demonstrate equal compliance to centrally mandated policies. Compounding these challenges are high public visibility, professional isolation and personal loneliness, high staff turnover, and high expectations for students’ performance. In the face of declining school populations, calls for reorganization are continuously and often contentiously in the spotlight. With such a legacy, principals are also required to develop staff capacity as leaders. Our study seeks to understand how principals address this challenge.

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