VCU's Rural Systems Leadership Project: Rural-Centric School Improvement
Dr. Phelton Moss of Virginia Commonwealth University launches the Rural Systems Leadership Project
Dr. Phelton Moss, assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership in Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Education, welcomes rural school leaders to Richmond, VA
On April 17, leaders representing eight rural districts in North Carolina, Virginia, North Dakota, Mississippi, and Alabama came together on Virginia Commonwealth University’s campus in Richmond, VA to kick off the new Rural Systems Leadership Project. Led by Dr. Phelton Moss, assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership in VCU’s School of Education, this initiative explores how school quality is measured and improved in rural-specific contexts.
“Rurality is not a deficit to be solved but a unique context to be understood and leveraged,” said Dr. Moss. “We are ensuring that the ‘right measures’ of school quality are usable and valuable in every ZIP code, not just in urban areas.”
The Rural Systems Leadership project follows a Research, Practice, Policy framework, focusing on three key outcomes:
- Impactful research: The project produces scholarly work that documents the innovative practices already happening in rural districts by focusing on the "rural advantage” such as close-knit community ties and organizational agility. Their research provides a counter narrative to the standard deficit-based view of rural schooling.
- Targeted policy advocacy: The project partners work to translate their findings into actionable policy recommendations. They advocate for "rural-proofing” state and federal legislation to ensure that funding formulas, accountability measures, and certification requirements do not inadvertently penalize schools for their size or geography.
- Empowered practice: The project aims to bridge the gap between theory and the front lines. By developing professional learning networks and leadership toolkits, they provide rural administrators with the specialized strategies needed to navigate challenges like teacher recruitment in education deserts and managing the high-visibility of small-town leadership.
Over two days, district leaders engaged in deep conversations about how they are using data to drive continuous improvement, the structural and capacity-related barriers they face, and what it will take to build more supportive, aligned systems. The event also included expert presentations from the rural education field, including Dr. Loni Crumb of East Carolina University on the Rural Cultural Wealth Framework, and Dr. Cat Biddle from the University of Maine on rural narratives and data stories.
Rural Schools Collaborative is a supporting partner of this project to ensure the learnings can be shared and adopted by other rural school leaders in similar contexts. “Dr. Moss’ Rural Systems Leadership Project is sorely needed in the national conversation,” says Taylor McCabe-Juhnke, Executive Director of Rural Schools Collaborative. “From asset-based narratives, to celebrating rural school innovation, to activating powerful peer-networks grounded in rural realities…it’s exactly the type of work we aim to support at Rural Schools Collaborative.”
Some of the districts in the initial project cohort include partner schools in RSC Hubs, like Sweet Briar in North Dakota, Demopolis and Kemper County in the Black Belt, and East Carolina University partner schools in the Southeast. A few participating schools also are involved in the rural GRAD Partnership for Student Success cohort, including Demopolis County Schools.
During a breakout group in the Rural Systems Leaders Project, Amie Miller shared about Demopolis’ adoption of a school-wide mentorship program that helped them capture the right data at the right time to ensure student wellbeing in their rural-serving school. When it comes to their student success data, they apply the motto: “It’s not another thing on the plate. This is the plate.”
Looking forward, districts participating in the Rural Systems Leadership Project will receive tailored support through VCU’s team to continue engaging in research, practice, and policy levers for change that support their unique rural school contexts and strengths.
Thank you to Dr. Phelton Moss and the Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Educational Leadership for spearheading this project, and the Gates Foundation for their support.