Comparing Perceptions of Dual-Role Administrators and Teachers Regarding the Effectiveness of DualRole Administrators in a Rural State

Oct 15, 2026

The study examines how rural school administrators who serve in dual roles—as superintendent and building principal—are perceived relative to teachers in the same Midwestern state where the principal also functions as superintendent. Data from 58 dual-role administrators and approximately 350 teachers were analyzed using independent-samples t-tests. Results show administrators rate school board relations, public relations, and school finance as more important. Teachers want greater administrator attention to student discipline and attendance, and they perceive time allocation as shifted toward superintendency; administrators also prefer more time on the superintendency than teachers expect.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Comparative Study Overview

Research Purpose and Sample

Method and Key Findings

Contextual Framework

Rural Definitions and Demographics

Enrollment Trends

Principal Leadership

Principal Responsibilities and Pressures

Comparing Perceptions of Dual-Role Administrators and Teachers Regarding the Effectiveness of DualRole Administrators in a Rural State Jerry Rasmussen Dakota Valley School District Dr. David De Jong University of South Dakota Dr. Fred Aderhold University of South Dakota One increasingly utilized option for rural school districts under fiscal constraints is to utilize one person to fulfill both administrative positions of superintendent and building principal in the same school district. This study compared the perceptions of rural school administrators in this Midwest state who are serving in these dual-roles with the perceptions of teachers in this Midwest state whose principal is also tasked with serving as the superintendent. The population for this study consisted of 58 dual-role administrators and a sampling of approximately 350 teachers in schools with dual-role administrators. Results of the t-test for independent samples indicated that dualrole administrators identified school board relations, public relations, and school finance as significantly more important than did their teachers. Teachers desired that dual-role administrators spend significantly more time on student discipline and attendance. A significant difference existed in the perceptions of time allocation between dual role administrators and teachers, with teachers perceiving that dual-role administrators spend more time on the superintendency than the principalship. Results also indicated a significant difference existed in the desired time allocation with dual-role administrators desiring to spend more time on the superintendency than teachers desired of their dual-role administrators. ICPEL Education Leadership Review, Vol. 19, No. 1– December, 2018 ISSN: 1532-0723 © 2018 International Council of Professors of Educational Leadership The importance of building-level leadership is a well-established and accepted requirement for effective schools (Storey & Johnson, 2017) . Various researchers for several decades have linked quality school leadership with positive school results (Cotton, 2003; Drake & Roe, 2002; Marzano, Waters, & McNulty, 2005) . The role of being a principal is reported to have become more challenging and more difficult to meet the expectations placed upon school leaders through the increased focus on instruction and on student achievement (Bellibas & Liu, 2018) . Rousmaniere (2013) stated,“In American public schools, the principal is the most complex and contradictory figure in the pantheon of educational leadership”(p. 2). The principal role becomeseven more complicated when one person is expected to serve as a dual-role administrator. Oftentimes, these dual-role administrators are charged with completing the work of both the superintendent and the building principal: “At its most basic level, creating a hybrid position requires the superintendent to ask a single individual to perform the work responsibilities previously held by two individuals“ (Forner, Bierlein-Palmer, & Reeves, 2012, p. 9) . The obligations and expectations of one individual fulfilling both roles may result in a position that is difficult to be successfully filled by one individual (Alvoid & Black, 2014; Canales, TejedaDelgado, & Slate, 2010) . Contextual Framework Data for this study were collected from a state that meets the definition of rural as defined by United States Department of Agriculture (2014) . Rural is defined as a state that has a majority of its counties that are open countryside, rural towns, or urban areas with populations of fewer than 49,999 people (USDA, 2014) . According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2015), 18.6% of students in the United States attends a rural school. The NCES identifies a school as being rural if it is located outside of an urban area or outside an urban cluster. In the rural, Midwestern state in this study, 78.6% of the schools are designated as being located in a rural area. National

FAQs

What dual-role arrangement does the study focus on in rural districts?

It focuses on having one person perform both superintendent and building principal responsibilities within the same rural school district.

How were perceptions compared between dual-role administrators and teachers?

The study compared perceptions using independent-samples t-tests based on responses from dual-role administrators and a sampling of teachers.

What did the study find about the importance of school functions and time allocation?

Dual-role administrators rated school board relations, public relations, and school finance as more important than teachers did, while teachers wanted more time for discipline and attendance and perceived administrators spent more time on superintendency than principalship.

Oct 15, 2026

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