Mindful Leadership: How Rural Principals Enact School Mindfulness Through Care and Social-Emotional Learning

This qualitative research study explored how rural secondary principals in Tennessee made sense of the practice of school mindfulness and what motivated them to engage in leadership practices that enact mindfulness in this setting. This study draws from the theoretical construct of high reliability theory (HRT) and school mindfulness: focus on failure, reluctance to simplify, sensitivity to teaching and learning, commitment to resilience, and deference to expertise. Three themes emerged: situational awareness, social-emotional learning (SEL), and care. This study extends the extant literature on school mindfulness and highlights leadership practices of care and social-emotional learning that enact school mindfulness in rural settings.