TEACHER LEADERSHIP AND LEARNING ECOLOGIES IN RURAL CONTEXTS: A DIALECTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE STATE OF THE ART (2020–2025)

Abstract

Teacher leadership in rural contexts has traditionally been examined through deficit‑based approaches that portray these territories as spaces of scarcity, overlooking their resilience and pedagogical agency. The central problem identified in this review is the lack of a comprehensive understanding of how rural teachers develop situated leadership capable of addressing structural inequities, technological precarity, and tensions between urban‑centered policies and local cultural practices. The objective was to analyze, from a comparative perspective, how distributed, conciliatory, and informal leadership models shape resilient learning environments in rural schools between 2020 and 2025. The method involved a systematic and critical review of literature indexed in Scopus, WoS, ERIC, SciELO, and Redalyc, complemented by bibliometric mapping and regional analysis. The results show that rural leadership relies primarily on informal networks, cultural mediation practices, and low‑cost technological solutions that ensure pedagogical continuity despite isolation and digital divides. The conclusions indicate that rurality should be understood as a laboratory of situated innovation where territory functions as a “third educator,” requiring flexible policies that acknowledge local diversity, reinforce horizontal networks, and move beyond rigid standardization to build equitable and sustainable educational ecosystems