Secondary Teachers and Their Quest to Prepare College- and Career-Ready Students through Project-Based Learning in a Small, Rural High School District
Authors:   , Nichols-Stock Bright Mary Anne , Bureau W. Edward 
Published: July 2021

With the shift in the focus of education to preparing all students to be college and career ready, there is little research that explores how teachers in small, rural schools are preparing students through project-based learning (PBL) for college and careers. Research suggests that rural adolescents contend with greater challenges in college and career development and preparedness as they move into "post-high school transitions" and that rural adolescents may have lower career aspirations and greater expectations for entering the workforce immediately after high school than adolescents who live in other settings. The purpose of this research study was to explore how teachers in small, rural schools are preparing students through PBL for college and careers. This study sought to understand small, rural high school district teachers' experiences with implementing curricula that integrates college and career readiness (CCR) with PBL. Further, teachers described how they view their role in preparing students for 21st-century college and careers and the challenges they experienced in a small, rural high school district. Data were gathered through a series of in-depth interviews, observations, and artifact review and analyzed for emergent codes, themes and trends. The study's conclusions indicated the role of education and professional development in participants' understanding (or lack thereof) of PBL and CCR along with relevancy is a primary catalyst for participants to integrate PBL and CCR. PBL provides relevance, thus increasing student engagement through an understanding of the purpose for what students are being asked to do. In addition, the value of PBL in preparing students for CCR include CTE and core integration, technology, Habits of Mind, challenges of rural schools, and success in life. Participant perceptions revealed that administrative expectations were unattainable because administration expects teachers to learn, implement, and have students successful with PBL and CCR overnight, resulting in teacher frustration. A lack of support after training and through the implementation process results in participants' frustration and the PBL concept being dropped by teachers. Lastly, teacher participants faced rural school challenges with respect to community resources available to support PBL and CCR in the classroom. Major recommendations from the study include supporting teachers with initial and continuous professional development for PBL, CCR, and grading strategies; develop district-wide best practices in supporting interdisciplinary PBL and CCR; and provide ongoing, regularly scheduled planning time and PBL experts within the contract day. Further, provide teachers with ongoing current community business and industry databases or websites to access guest speakers, mentors, paid/unpaid internships and externships and job shadow experiences as well as district-wide short- and long-term action plans that outline how administration is going to provide ongoing PBL and CCR support for teachers.