When five shrinks to four: Assessing the four-day school week in rural locales

2021 ◽  
Vol 103 (4) ◽  
pp. 19-23
Author(s):  
J. Cameron Anglum
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Day School ◽  
Rural School Districts ◽  
School Week

In rural school districts across the country, four-day school weeks have proliferated. Currently adopted in 1,600 schools in 600 school districts, 90% of which are rural, four-day school week policies have prospered largely without a robust body of evidence to support their expansion. J. Cameron Anglum presents an overview of four-day school week policy expansion and describes a few of the studies into its effects on students, families, and communities.

scholarly journals Three Midwest Rural School Districts’ First Year Transition to the Four Day School Week

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon Turner ◽  
Kim Finch ◽  
Ximena Uribe-Zarain
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Parental Support ◽  
Day School ◽  
First Year ◽  
Rural School Districts ◽  
Free And Reduced Lunch ◽  
Elementary Aged Children ◽  
School Week ◽  
Special Education Identification

The four-day school week is a concept that has been utilized in rural schools for decades to respond to budgetary shortfalls. There has been little peer-reviewed research on the four-day school week that has focused on the perception of parents who live in school districts that have recently switched to the four-day model. This study collects data from 584 parents in three rural Missouri school districts that have transitioned to the four-day school week within the last year. Quantitative statistical analysis identifies significant differences in the perceptions of parents classified by the age of children, special education identification, and free and reduced lunch status. Strong parental support for the four-day school week was identified in all demographic areas investigated; however, families with only elementary aged children and families with students receiving special education services were less supportive than other groups.

scholarly journals The Fiscal Effects of Tax Increment Financing on Rural School Districts: The Case of Iowa

AERA Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 233285842199114
Author(s):  
Phuong Nguyen-Hoang
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Property Tax ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Tax Rates ◽  
Rural School Districts ◽  
Tax Increment Financing ◽  
Tax Base ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Development Tool

Tax increment financing (TIF)—an economic (re)development tool originally designed for urban cities—has been available to rural communities for decades. This is the first study to focus solely on TIF in rural school districts, to examine TIF effects on school districts’ property tax base and rates, and to conduct event-study estimations of TIF effects. The study finds that TIF has mostly positive effects on rural school districts’ property tax base and mixed effects on property tax rates, and that TIF-induced increases in tax base come primarily from residential property and slightly from commercial property. The study’s findings assert the importance of returned excess increment if rural school districts in Iowa and many other states are to benefit from TIF.

Cultivating Teacher Leadership in Rural School Districts

2021 ◽  
pp. 83-108
Author(s):  
Beth Kania-Gosche ◽  
Suzanne Hull
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Rural Schools ◽  
Teacher Leaders ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Community Context ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Rural Setting ◽  
Teacher Leader ◽  
Rural School Districts

This chapter addresses the uniqueness of rural schools and the importance of teacher leaders in those settings. The teacher leader model will be different in a smaller school, although this context is less studied. Because teacher leaders have experience in the community context, they can guide others. Rural schools often have more difficulty recruiting and retaining teachers; while location cannot be changed, working conditions can. Supportive mentors can help rural school districts retain new teachers; however, teacher leaders are often not formally recognized. Less than half of states have a teacher leader licensure, and even fewer have standards in this area. Although national standards exist, little research has focused on how these and other professional development strategies can be effectively implemented in the rural setting.

Training Teachers of Visually Impaired Children in Rural Tennessee

1992 ◽  
Vol 86 (9) ◽  
pp. 408-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.D. Trent
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Rural School ◽  
The State ◽  
School Systems ◽  
Rural School Districts ◽  
Visually Impaired Students ◽  
Impaired Children ◽  
Visually Impaired Children

This article describes a model for training teachers of visually impaired children in Tennessee that has significantly increased the number of teachers of visually impaired children in rural school districts since 1981. Teachers are awarded stipends to attend both classes and a practicum over two or three summers and earn 18 hours of credit. They are recruited from across the state and must have assurance from their superintendents that they will teach visually impaired students in their school systems when they are endorsed.

The Need for Inservice Training in Instructional Technology for Special Education Personnel in Small Rural School Districts

1982 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A. Wirth ◽  
Stephen W. Stile ◽  
Jack T. Cole
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Instructional Technology ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Staff Development ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Rural School Districts ◽  
Special Education Administrator ◽  
Interview Guide ◽  
Small Rural School

One special education teacher and one special education administrator from each of 17 small rural school districts (N=34) were interviewed via a 65–item interview guide relative to staff development needs. A lack of staff development activities was identified as a critical problem for special educators in such districts in New Mexico. Training in the area of instructional technology was the most frequently mentioned inservice need. A majority of respondents indicated that instructional technology would be useful in the provision of special services. The vast majority of respondents felt competence in instructional technology would improve the special educator's effectiveness in the classroom, while the response to the question of whether competence in this area would improve the special education administrator's effectiveness was mixed.

Using Community Conversations to Inform Transition Education in Rural Communities

2020 ◽  
pp. 002246692095033
Author(s):  
Erik W. Carter ◽  
Michele A. Schutz ◽  
Shimul A. Gajjar ◽  
Erin A. Maves ◽  
Jennifer L. Bumble ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Postsecondary Education ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Community Partnerships ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Rural School Districts ◽  
Youth With Disabilities ◽  
Transition Outcomes

Nearly one quarter of all youth with disabilities attend rural schools. Supporting the successful postschool transitions of these youth can be a complex and challenging endeavor. In this study, we used “community conversation” events as a methodology for identifying the practices and partnerships needed to improve transition outcomes for students with disabilities in rural school districts. We analyzed the diverse ideas ( n = 656) for preparing youth with disabilities for adulthood generated by a cross section of the local community in five participating rural school districts. Although practices related to employment and family engagement were prominent, fewer suggestions addressed postsecondary education and community living. Perceptions of existing school–community partnerships varied within and across districts. We offer recommendations for research and practice aimed at strengthening the capacity of rural communities to prepare their students with disabilities well for life after high school.

Inclusion in Rural School Districts: Where is the Superintendent?

1999 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. H. (Buddy) Hooper ◽  
Anita Pankake ◽  
Gwen Schroth
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Rural School Districts

Service Delivery to Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Students in Rural School Districts

1994 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 37-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jozi De Leon ◽  
Jack Cole
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Culturally And Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Rural School Districts ◽  
Exceptional Students ◽  
Educational Diagnosticians ◽  
Bilingual Special Education

Bilingual special education programs have been established in many school districts across the country to address the unique needs of culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional students (CLDE). Rural school districts may have difficulty meeting the specialized needs of CLDE students due to the limited availability of resources, especially individuals trained in bilingual special education. This study examines the availability of programs which could serve CLDE students, the training of personnel in these programs, and whether educational diagnosticians and speech language pathologists (SLPs) apply procedures which take into account language and cultural factors. The authors suggest that rural school districts can provide service delivery if special educators are trained in cultural and language areas while bilingual and English as a second language (ESL) teachers are trained in exceptionalities.

A bus routing system for rural school districts

1990 ◽  
Vol 19 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 322-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Der-San Chen ◽  
Henry A. Kallsen ◽  
Hui-Chuan Chen ◽  
Ven-Ching Tseng
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Rural School Districts ◽  
Bus Routing

scholarly journals Consolidating Rural School Districts: Potential Savings and Effects on Student Achievement

2000 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 573-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Jacques ◽  
B. Wade Brorsen ◽  
Francisca G. C. Richter
Keyword(s):  
School District ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Rural School Districts ◽  
School District Consolidation ◽  
School District Size ◽  
District Consolidation

AbstractOne frequently proposed policy is to consolidate rural school districts in order to save money by obtaining economies of size. The effects of school district size on both expenditures and standardized test scores are estimated for Oklahoma. Results indicate that economies of scale with respect to expenditures per student exist up to an average daily membership (ADM) of 965 students, but that as school districts become larger, tests scores decline. Even if savings in school district administration from consolidation are spent on instruction, state average test scores would decrease slightly. Thus, school district consolidation can reduce costs, but it will also reduce student learning.

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