Therefore, using The Teacher's Guide to Classroom Research by David Hopkins as the guide, the action research component has two levels. For all of the other schools, the action research questions will emerge after they have had opportunities to examine their data, identify student needs, receive professional development on strategies, and link the process to their revised school improvement plans. Describe the current status of your plan for evaluating the cost effectiveness and impact of all services provided at the district level. From the first series of on-site meetings, several research questions emerged regarding small, isolated rural schools. Additionally, there are questions to access to information and the impact of new educational personnel on student performance, particularly in districts with high percentages of educator turnover.
Many rural educators think that teachers in larger districts know more and can do more.
This issue is coupled with the concern that committees in small schools tend to overburden the faculty. For example, if there is just one teacher per grade level or less, the teachers tend to be on more than one committee. Additionally, for schools like School 14, isolated from the larger district, is there a way to show student progress in the grade levels before the MEAP, specifically before fourth grade. There are also contractual constraints that impact reform. In some districts, the teacher contract limits participation in professional development and school improvement activities.