ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Challenges and Sustainability Practices of Frontier Schools in Montana
Author: Morton, Claudette
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Enrollment,Boards of Education,School Districts,Educational Facilities,Rural Schools,Sustainability,Focus Groups,Small Schools,Teacher Attitudes,Administrator Attitudes,Educational Finance,Surveys,Agriculture,Educational Practices

This article reports the findings of a study commissioned by the Montana Small Schools Alliance to explore the challenges and sustainability practices of frontier schools. A Montana frontier school is defined as a school district with 200 or fewer students with its attendant community located in a county with five or fewer people per square mile. The researchers surveyed teachers, administrators, and school board chairs in 141 frontier school districts and held six focus groups of community members. The top five most important challenges noted by school district personnel were low student enrollment, inadequate financial resources, unrealistic federal expectations, academically unmotivated students, and mixed grade levels of students in the classroom. School sustainability practices included operating mixed-age or multi-grade classrooms and using school facilities to serve critical community functions. Lay citizens, compared to persons employed by the school district, were more likely to view the school as necessary for maintaining a way of life associated with agriculture and related enterprises. Twelve research questions are offered for future research on issues of frontier schools. (Contains 5 tables.)
Recommendations from the North Star State: Rural Administrators Speak out
Author: Williams, Julia M.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Educational Indicators,Federal Programs,Educational Improvement,Professional Development,Data Analysis,Elementary Secondary Education,Rural Schools,Focus Groups,School Administration,Funding Formulas,Educational Finance,Financial Support,Educational Change,Surveys,Administrators,Population Trends,Rural Population,Intervention,Student Transportation,School Districts,Mixed Methods Research,Educational Policy

Administrators in America's rural school districts are uniquely challenged to meet increased achievement expectations despite decreasing resources. Mandated reform initiatives, population decline, and the complex formulas used to distribute tax-based funding have disproportionately affected rural schools. In this mixed-methods study, researchers first surveyed K-12 administrators and then conducted focus groups across six regions in Minnesota to determine the nature of the challenges specific to rural administrators and to document their perceived needs for interventions, training, and policy changes. The study identified two categories of common concern: student achievement and fiscal management. Within the category of student achievement, administrators identified four areas of need for assistance: testing and adequate yearly progress, achievement for all, staff and professional development, and data analysis. Within the category of fiscal management, needs for assistance included balancing budgets and transportation/sparsity policy. Analysis of the data gathered indicates statewide implications for professional development and policy review. (Contains 2 tables.)
A Distance-Delivered Teacher Education Program for Rural Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Teacher Candidates
Author: Lohfink, Gayla
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preservice Teacher Education,Teacher Education Programs,Rural Areas,Financial Needs,Rural Education,Distance Education,Educational Technology,Cultural Influences,Student Diversity,Student Needs,Partnerships in Education,Communities of Practice,Nontraditional Students,Hispanic American Students,Program Development,Cultural Relevance,Internship Programs,English (Second Language),Program Effectiveness

This article describes a collaborative, distance-delivered, teacher preparation program for rural, culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) teacher candidates. Multiple institutions partnered with one university in order to diversify the teaching force in the region and meet the needs of CLD students living there. In describing the program's design and implementation phases, a focus on cultural responsiveness to the candidates' needs, their rural settings, and high populations of Latino/a students in the rural areas in which they were trained is presented. Assessment of each implementation phase guided program practice for the participants' training as effective teachers. Relevant discussion indicates that even with responses to the pre-service teachers' academic, social, and financial needs, issues of communication and barriers imposed by distances emerged. Additionally, while collaborative bonds among the partner institutions facilitated the candidates' training as effective teachers, the building of multi-institutional partnerships concurrently with the implementation phases caused participants and implementers stress. (Contains 3 figures.)
Describing Connections between Science Content and Future Careers: Implementing Texas Curriculum for Rural at-Risk High School Students Using Purposefully-Designed Field Trips
Author: Hutson, Tommye
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Field Trips,Science Curriculum,Course Content,Interviews,Focus Groups,At Risk Students,Science Careers,Correlation,Rural Schools,High School Students,Case Studies,Credits,Self Concept,Surveys,Student Records,Instructional Effectiveness,Science Instruction

The state of Texas has an &quot;essential knowledge&quot; component in some high school science courses indicating that students be able to describe connections between academic science content and future jobs or training through effective exposure to course content. The participants in this study were from a small rural high school in central Texas. Each was labeled as &quot;at-risk&quot; and self-identified an inability to describe those types of connections after earning credit in more than one science course with that &quot;essential knowledge&quot; component. A career-focused field trip to a local vocational/technology training center was designed to address that particular deficit. This study followed a narrative multiple-case case study design. Data included school records, surveys, individual and focus group interviews, and field notes from observations during the field trip. The effectiveness of the field trip was evident as each participant was able to describe connections immediately following the excursion. (Contains 2 tables.)
A Longitudinal Study on the Effect of the Texas Behavior Support Initiative on Rural Middle School Students
Author: Ruiz, Alberto
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Prevention,Discipline,Student Behavior,Middle Schools,Classroom Techniques,Behavior Modification,Positive Reinforcement,Teaching Methods,Middle School Students,Rural Schools,Longitudinal Studies,Statistical Analysis

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of a school wide positive behavior initiative designed to improve student behavior. Researchers analyzed the last 3 years (2005-2008) of student discipline referral data for grades 7 and 8. Implementation resulted in a significant reduction in the number of discipline referrals. Data revealed a decrease of 23% in the number (2239 vs. 1723) of discipline referrals from year one to year two and a decrease of 22% in the number (1723 vs.1340) of discipline referrals from year two to year three. Results obtained from the analysis indicate that the TBSI was effective in improving student behavior in a rural middle school. (Contains 1 table and 4 figures.)
Planning for the Future: An Investigation of Work-Bound Rural Youth
Author: Hutchins, Bryan C.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Academic Aspiration,Occupational Aspiration,Family Characteristics,Investigations,Rural Youth,Educational Experience,Parents,Parent Attitudes,Expectation,Regression (Statistics),Academic Achievement,Noncollege Bound Students,High Schools,Predictor Variables,Education Work Relationship,Student Surveys,Measures (Individuals),Rural Education,High School Students

The purpose of this study was to explore the postsecondary educational and occupational expectations of work-bound rural youth. Three groups of work-bound youth were identified (work-bound, work-bound with future educational plans, and work-bound but unsure/undecided about postsecondary education), and each group was compared to college-bound rural youth using results from a recent national investigation of the educational and occupational aspirations of rural youth. Results indicated that the majority of rural youth in this study planned to continue their education after high school (56%), followed by 34% who planned to work and further their education. Results of logistic regression analysis indicated that family characteristics and students' schooling experiences were the strongest predictors of work-bound status. Work-bound youth were more likely to report greater family economic hardship, lower parental expectations for completing college, and more negative schooling experiences than college-bound rural youth. (Contains 2 tables.)
Increasing College-Going Rate, Parent Involvement, and Community Participation in Rural Communities
Author: King, Stephanie B.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Rural Areas,Community Involvement,Counties,Workshops,Parent Participation,Parent School Relationship,College Attendance,College Preparation,High School Students,Influences,College Entrance Examinations,Family Programs,Mentors,Academic Aspiration

This study examined the perceptions of leaders of grant-supported projects aimed at increasing the college-going rate of high school students in rural Appalachian counties in Mississippi to determine which factors they felt most influenced the college-going rate, parental participation in school activities, and community participation. Analysis of the leaders' responses to questions related to these items showed that college visits and ACT preparation workshops were perceived as having the greatest impact on increasing the college-going rate at the schools. No one factor was perceived as having the least impact on increasing the college-going rate at the schools. Factors influencing parental and community participation included events and workshops for parents, especially those which involved community members as mentors.
Teaching Elementary Children with Autism: Addressing Teacher Challenges and Preparation Needs
Author: Busby, Ruth
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Elementary School Students,Teacher Education Programs,Self Efficacy,Inclusion,Elementary School Teachers,Autism,Graduate Students,Rural Schools,Educational Improvement,College Faculty,Teacher Attitudes,Student Needs,Research Methodology

Teachers' perception of self-efficacy may have a significant impact on their ability to accept the challenges inherent in including children with autism in their classrooms. The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) was used to identify perceived challenges and needs of 31 graduate students in a university course of which 14 of the 23 students were actively teaching in rural schools located in southeast Alabama. Five faculty members used the resulting NGT data to draft six recommendations for improving the teacher preparation program at Troy University. (Contains 1 table.)
Developing a Rural Teacher Education Curriculum Package
Author: White, Simone
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Education Curriculum,Graduates,Rural Education,Journal Articles,Teacher Educators,Web Sites,Surveys,Rural Schools,Practicums,Interviews,Teacher Attitudes,College Faculty,Student Attitudes,Preservice Teachers,Consciousness Raising,Student Needs,Films,Books,Educational Resources

This paper documents the development of a new website (www.rrrtec.net.au) specifically designed to better equip teacher educators to prepare graduates to teach in rural and regional communities. The two year study (2009-2011) that informed the website's creation included three data sources: A literature review of research into rural teacher education, a survey of pre-service students who had completed a rural practicum and interviews with teacher educators about the current strategies they used to raise awareness and understanding of the needs of rural students, their families, and communities. An analysis of the data revealed that teacher educators need to focus more on developing graduates to be not only "classroom ready" but also "school and community ready". This analysis provided the framework for the creation of a set of curriculum modules and resources including journal articles, film clips, websites and books that teacher educators could readily and publicly access and use in their own classroom teaching.
Principals as Assessment Leaders in Rural Schools
Author: Renihan, Patrick
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Administrator Attitudes,Rural Education,Journal Articles,Teacher Educators,Principals,Leadership Role,Focus Groups,Small Schools,Accountability,Grouping (Instructional Purposes),Transformational Leadership,Teacher Administrator Relationship

This article reports a study of rural school principals' assessment leadership roles and the impact of rural context on their work. The study involved three focus groups of principals serving small rural schools of varied size and grade configuration in three systems. Principals viewed assessment as a matter of teacher accountability and as a focus for the school professional team. They saw themselves as teachers first, stressing their importance as sources of teacher support, serving a "buffer role," ameliorating external constraints to effective assessment and learning. Bureaucratic environments and trappings of large-scale assessment were seen to be incompatible with the familial nature of rural professional contexts. Other constraints were the logistical challenges of small student populations, higher instances of multi-graded classrooms, and the absence of grade-alike professional interaction. Conversely, smallness enabled professional interaction and transformational leadership. Finally, the quality of system-level support emerged as a critical catalyst for assessment leadership at the school level.
Teachers' Perceptions of Rural STEM Teaching: Implications for Rural Teacher Retention
Author: Goodpaster, Kasey P. S.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Research,Rural Schools,Teacher Persistence,STEM Education,School Districts,Science Teachers,Mathematics Teachers,Science Instruction,Interviews,Teacher Attitudes,Teacher Education,High Schools,Secondary School Teachers,Faculty Mobility

Rural school districts often struggle with attracting and retaining high-quality teachers, especially in science subject areas. However, little is known about STEM in-service teachers' lived experiences of rural teaching as they relate to retention. In this phenomenographical study, six rural in-service science teachers were interviewed regarding their perceptions of the benefits and challenges of teaching in rural schools in general, and teaching science subjects in particular. Community interactions, professional development, and rural school structures emerged as three key factors related to rural teacher retention. Participants viewed each of these factors as having both positive and negative aspects. Findings from this study confirm existing literature regarding rural teaching, in general, but provide additional insight into the complexities of rural science teaching, in particular. Implications for rural teacher preparation, recruitment, and retention are discussed. (Contains 2 tables.)
Exploring Rural Contexts with Digital Storytelling
Author: Wake, Donna G.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Grounded Theory,Rural Schools,Rural Areas,Middle School Students,Self Concept,Story Telling,Grade 7,Grade 9,Adolescents,Student Attitudes,Geography,Phenomenology,Educational Technology,Information Technology,Writing (Composition)

This article describes rural middle school students' exploration of their identity and their rural contexts through the vehicle of digital storytelling. Participants included 40 7th and 40 9th grade students at two rural schools in the Southeast United States. Students worked in shared writing groups to create digital stories expressing their views on teen life in a small, rural town. The resultant stories were analyzed using comparative grounded theory yielding some themes which may be posited as unique to a rural population while other themes were typical of the developmental age regardless of geographical context. Study findings indicate that the rural nature of the participants' communities had a significant impact on their identity formation and understanding of community. This study supports students' use of technology to promote exploration of identity within geographic and sociological settings. (Contains 5 tables.)
The Effect of Constructivist Mathematics on Achievement in Rural Schools
Author: Grady, Michael
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Achievement Tests,Teaching Methods,Mathematics Curriculum,Data Analysis,Constructivism (Learning),Mathematics Instruction,Rural Schools,Global Approach,Elementary School Students,Academic Achievement,State Standards,School Districts,Comparative Analysis,Scores

International assessment data indicate American students are not competing with their counterparts in other countries. The mathematics curriculum and pedagogy are not preparing students to compete in a global economy. This study compared student achievement using sixth grade mathematics results from the Illinois Standards Achievement Test. Specifically, the study compared the results of students in three different rural school districts, all of whom were receiving instruction in three different mathematics curricula. In one district, students received seven years of the K-6 Everyday Mathematics curriculum which was compared with students who received seven years of instruction using a traditional mathematics curriculum in the second district and in the third district scores were compared with students who were taught using a traditional mathematics curriculum supplemented with Mountain Math. The results of this study indicate the constructivist K-6 elementary mathematics curriculum did not lead to higher levels in math achievement when compared with the traditional methods of instruction. (Contains 6 tables.)
From Year-Long Internship to PDS: Working Together to Build Better Teachers
Author: Gray, Kimberly C.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Goal Orientation,Teachers,Professional Development Schools,Professional Development,Mentors,Best Practices,Internship Programs,Partnerships in Education,Preservice Teachers,Middle Schools,Teacher Effectiveness,Models,College School Cooperation,Teacher Evaluation,Team Teaching,Interprofessional Relationship,Communities of Practice

The partnership between Kennesaw State University and Marietta Middle School, a 2012 recipient of the National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) &quot;Award for Exemplary Professional Development School Achievement,&quot; began as a year-long internship (YLI) program for teacher candidates in middle grades education at KSU. During the pilot year, the goals included the following four objectives: 1) identify excellent classroom teachers willing to mentor a pre-service teacher (intern) for the entire academic year; 2) critique, guide, and mentor interns using best practice unit design; 3) create a model for interns to observe and critique each others' teaching; and 4) develop this partnership into a PDS relationship using the &quot;Nine Essentials&quot; of NAPDS (NAPDS, 2008). As the YLI developed into a formalized PDS, the goal was to create a Professional Learning Community (PLC) that would enhance the learning of both in-service and pre-service teachers. Co-teaching, goal setting, and communication became the foci of professional development sessions for all participants. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)
Minnesota State Mankato P-20 Professional Development School Partnership: The Cornerstones of 25 Years of Success
Author: Zierdt, Ginger L.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Education Programs,Partnerships in Education,College School Cooperation,Program Descriptions,Administrative Organization,Professional Development Schools,Special Education,School Counseling,Educational Administration,Elementary Secondary Education,Schools of Education

Minnesota State Mankato's partnership with eight Professional Development School districts, encompassing fifty-four P-12 sites, and post-secondary programs involved in educator preparation including Elementary, Secondary, Special Education, Leadership, School Counseling, and Arts &amp; Sciences content, was one of five PDS partnerships recognized by the National Association for Professional Development Schools for &quot;Exemplary PDS Achievement&quot; in 2012. The mission of this multi-district, long-standing partnership is to interconnect, sustain, and enrich learning communities of students, staff, faculty, and citizens from the university and P-12 schools who foster human development, professional growth, and optimal learning opportunities through research, reflection, and practice. This article highlights four special components of our PDS network, which we consider some of the most essential contributors to or examples of our successful quarter century of PDS partnership.
Partnership without Hierarchy: Postsecondary Outcomes from a Collaborative Partnership
Author: Frost, Janet Hart
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Mathematics,Professional Development Schools,Professional Development,College Mathematics,Teacher Collaboration,Partnerships in Education,Outcomes of Education,Higher Education,Mathematics Instruction,Mathematics Education,Mathematics Curriculum,Secondary School Teachers,College School Cooperation,Mathematics Teachers,Educational Change

In this article we describe a secondary-postsecondary collaborative partnership that addressed the issue of students' frequent failures as they transition from high school to college mathematics courses. Although the partnership did not take place in a professional development school, secondary and postsecondary participants worked together as peers to study pedagogy and content through a professional development approach. Postsecondary participants reported that they valued collegial relationships with secondary teachers and the shared learning and growth they experienced together. The significance of the study for educators and researchers, as well as research funders, is that it emphasizes the value of using collaborative partnerships to work together on studying and aligning instructional approaches, content, and curricula across levels and institutions. This alignment has the potential to strengthen students' abilities to successfully move through the transition points in their education. (Contains 1 table.)