Numerous studies have explored the labor market of school principals, documenting high turnover rates and voicing concerns regarding labor supply. However, little is known about the staffing challenges in rural schools and what promotes applicants to apply for and be hired for principalship in these locales. In partnership with the Wisconsin Education Career Access Network, we examine the principal labor dynamics in rural schools using statewide job-openings and application information. Results indicate that all rural communities—rural fringe, rural distant, and rural remote—receive comparable numbers of applications, as compared with urban districts. Female candidates and candidates of color are significantly less likely to apply to rural districts, while experience working in the same district is a considerable advantage to being hired. Additionally, higher student poverty is associated with fewer principal applicants in rural schools. These results indicate the need for policies better attuned to subtle differences in rural contexts.

许多研究探索了学校校长的劳动力市场，记录了高离职率和对劳动力供应的担忧。但是，对于农村学校的人员配置挑战以及促使申请人在这些地区申请校长职位的原因知之甚少。通过与威斯康星州教育职业访问网络的合作，我们使用全州范围的职位空缺和申请信息来研究农村学校的主要劳动力动态。结果表明，与城市地区相比，所有农村社区（农村边缘地区，偏远农村和偏远农村）都收到了相当数量的申请。女性候选人和有色人种候选人在农村地区申请的可能性大大降低，而在同一地区工作的经验对录用具有很大的优势。此外，学生贫困程度的提高与乡村学校主申请人的减少有关。这些结果表明，需要对政策进行更好地调整，以适应农村环境中的细微差异。