scholarly journals The State of Education in Alabama’s K-12 Rural Public Schools

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald A. Lindahl

The purpose of this study was to compare Alabama’s rural school districts with its city, suburban, and town districts. Descriptive statistics were used for this population study, with effect sizes calculated using Cohen’s d. Findings indicated Alabama’s rural school districts serve slightly less affluent student populations, with a lower percentage of minority students, than their counterparts. They are funded at slightly lower levels than their counterparts in other categories, yet spend approximately the same percentage of their budgets on administration and on instruction. They spend a considerably higher percentage on transportation. Although rural district dropout rates are similar to those of their counterparts, from the third to the eleventh grade, student performance on standardized examinations falls gradually behind that of the students in other locale categories.  

AERA Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 233285842199114
Author(s):  
Phuong Nguyen-Hoang

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.


Author(s):  
Beth Kania-Gosche ◽  
Suzanne Hull

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.


1992 ◽  
Vol 86 (9) ◽  
pp. 408-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.D. Trent

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.


2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 24-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher K. Dye

The purpose of the study was to examine the features of Texas’s Alternative Route to Certification (ARC) programs in music education, the demographics and prior experiences of program completers, and the employment of ARC completers in K–12 public schools. Data were collected from the State Board of Educator Certification about demographics and employment information for all individuals who completed ARC programs in music education between 2002 and 2012 ( N = 1,200), and individuals from that population were surveyed concerning their experiences ( n = 214). Survey respondents completed programs that varied widely in duration, features, instructional modalities, and providing institutions. Music educator gender and ethnicity were significantly associated with the route used to pursue alternative certification. Relative to the distribution of music teaching positions across the state, ARC completers were disproportionately employed in large urban districts, charter school districts, and in districts with large proportions of economically disadvantaged students.


1982 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A. Wirth ◽  
Stephen W. Stile ◽  
Jack T. Cole

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.


2020 ◽  
pp. 002246692095033
Author(s):  
Erik W. Carter ◽  
Michele A. Schutz ◽  
Shimul A. Gajjar ◽  
Erin A. Maves ◽  
Jennifer L. Bumble ◽  
...  

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.


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

1994 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 37-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jozi De Leon ◽  
Jack Cole

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.


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

2000 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 573-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Jacques ◽  
B. Wade Brorsen ◽  
Francisca G. C. Richter

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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