This chapter examines 100 years of rural education research in the context of the demographic, migratory, economic, and social changes that have affected rural America in the past century. The authors conducted a systematic review of the literature on rural teacher recruitment, retention, and training as a case study to examine the constancy and change in the construction of the “rural school problem,” a concept drawn from early work by urban education reformers. They found that attention to rurality as a factor affecting education boomed in the first half of the 20th century thanks to a commitment to achieving a kind of modernity, an emphasis that waned in the second half of that century when modernity was believed to have been more or less achieved. Neoliberal economic policies and the precariousness of rural economies revived interest in the resilience and adaptability of rural America in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, however, leading to a renaissance in rural education research but one large...

Constructing and Reconstructing the “Rural School Problem”: A Century of Rural Education Research

This paper explores the perceived professional development needs of inservice teachers of English-language learners (ELLs) from 10 rural and small districts in the USA. The survey instrument that captured responses from 159 elementary and secondary teachers in Texas was primarily quantitative and was based on the state English as a second language (ESL) certification examination. It also included open-ended demographic information on teachers’ backgrounds, and elicited information on challenges in working with ELLs. Demographics of the respondents reflect a typical teaching force in the rural USA: primarily white, English-speaking females with a bachelor’s degree. For many of the teachers, communication with students and their parents was cited as a major challenge. One of the most salient findings occurred in correlations between teachers having taken one or more college courses in ESL and their perceived knowledge of the competencies involved in the ESL examination. This important insight suggests that ...

I do not feel I am properly trained to help them! Rural teachers’ perceptions of challenges and needs with English-language learners

The purpose of this qualitative, narrative study was to investigate the perceptions of successful small-school superintendents in regard to maintaining or improving district efficiency and financial status. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with seven purposefully selected small-school superintendents. Findings suggest that in their efforts to increase revenues, these superintendents are seeking to understand and to navigate the state’s funding system to its maximum potential and to the greatest benefit for their districts. They are looking outside their districts for expert advice in their efforts toward improved revenue projection. Additionally, they are accepting out-of-district transfer students to generate revenue. Other areas of improved efficiency include personnel considerations, reducing district expenditures through purchasing and energy use.

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Superintendent Perspectives of Financial Survival Strategies in Small School Districts

/pdf/exploring-the-liminal-space-dual-enrollment-at-maine-s-dcbsaqk67s.pdf

Exploring the Liminal Space: Dual Enrollment at Maine's Community Colleges

Structured mentoring programs for new principals are designed to support and enhance their professional abilities. Providing mentoring support for new principals has benefits that extend beyond the novice principal to the mentor, school, and school district. Although the benefits of principal mentoring are established, mentoring of new principals is not a common practice in many school districts. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of principals and district administrators regarding the benefits and challenges of principal mentoring, as well as perceptions surrounding implementation. This qualitative phenomenological research was structured to describe views on principal mentoring and determine areas of focus for mentoring. This study examined views of principals and district administrators in a semi-rural area of Idaho, a state without mandated or funded principal mentoring. The data from the participants in this study produced three areas that should be part of a formalized mentoring process: personal (organization, time management, emotional support, managing stress, and professional ethics), instructional leadership (district-specific learning and curricular requirements, teacher support and evaluation, using data to make decisions, and staff development), and management (district financial and policy processes, student behavioral issues, difficult relationships and stakeholders, and legal compliance). The three areas are foundational for a program and need balance to help support student learning. Mentoring can ensure the necessary balance.

https://www.whdl.org/sites/default/files/Saffle%2C%20Elisa%20_FINAL%20DISSERTATION.pdf

A qualitative study investigating administrator perceptions on the need, benefits, challenges, and areas for principal mentoring

Cover, editorial board, submission guidelines, table of contents, and message from editor Heather E. Duncan.

https://journals.library.msstate.edu/index.php/ruraled/article/download/349/321

About The Rural Educator

We live in times of exponential change. Deans of education must play a key role in ensuring teacher education programs provide future teachers the skills to “rethink, unlearn and relearn, change, revise, and adapt” (Niess, 2008, p. 225) so that they may be successful in meeting the diverse needs of the children they will teach.

Heather E. Duncan

Papers

About The Rural Educator

Exploring Complexities of Leadership for Teacher Education