Rural instructional leaders require specialized training and ongoing support to effectively navigate within their local and unique contexts. A review of the literature written predominantly between 2007 and 2017 was conducted to explore effective practices in developing and supporting rural instructional leaders. Approximately 32 studies focused on the rural instructional leader were selected and analyzed for common themes. As a result, a tripartite framework encompassing preparation, induction, and ongoing professional development evolved. The literature review revealed an education preparation curriculum developed in a collaborative effort between the university and a partnering district(s) as the foundation needed for building an effectual rural instructional leader. These collaborative partnerships were also shown to be vital for providing purposeful induction to the novice instructional leader helping bridge the theory and practice gap and resulting in increasing the leader's confidence, efficacy, and instructional leadership skills. Additional support of in-service instructional leaders as they seek to improve student performance was also highlighted as a professional development need in the literature. Just as a cross country runner runs the race course, the rural school leader must "get ready" by completing a relevant education preparation program, "get set" by participating in a quality mentoring program, and "go" or in this case "grow" through a journey of life-long learning with ongoing, meaningful professional development. The tripartite framework for rural instructional leader development presented offers a guide for universities and rural school districts in creating focused preparation, mentoring, and ongoing support for the rural instructional leader.