scholarly journals Envisioning the Rural Practicum

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-118
Author(s):  
Tena Versland ◽  
Kathryn Will ◽  
Nicholas Lux ◽  
James Hicks
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Teacher Perceptions ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
Rural School ◽  
State University ◽  
Recruitment And Retention

Recruitment and retention of teachers in rural areas continue to dominate educational narratives across the country. School districts, state agencies, and university schools of education have instituted strategies including financial incentives, alternative standards and licensure criteria, and grow-your-own programs that target underemployed locals and paraprofessionals for accelerated licensure. While each strategy may enjoy situational success, none is a panacea for all circumstances. However, there is growing interest in the development of university and school district partnerships in creating innovative solutions to rural recruitment and retention issues. This study investigates the efficacy of a partnership between several small rural districts and a state university partnering to create and test a contextualized clinical practice model. The Montana State University rural practicum placed 13 preservice teachers in a week-long, immersive clinical practice in rural, remote schools in Montana, for them to authentically experience the rural context and for researchers to determine if such an experience might positively affect recruitment and retention efforts. The study used a community-based participatory research method to ensure equal participation of both university and rural school partners in co-creating the experience and in collecting and analyzing data. Results suggest that the rural practicum experience positively affected preservice teacher perceptions of rural teaching and rural communities. Rural school leaders and university personnel also agreed that the model held promise for recruiting and retaining teachers in rural areas.

scholarly journals Recruiting and Retaining Allied Health Professionals in Rural Australia: Why is it so Difficult?

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Struber
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Allied Health ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
Rural Practice ◽  
Allied Health Professionals ◽  
Attrition Rates ◽  
Recruitment And Retention ◽  
Health Related

Rural communities in Australia have particular health needs, and the recruitment and retention of Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) is a significant concern. Despite the increasing number of AHPs being trained, vacancy and attrition rates in rural areas continue to rise. Professional and social isolation combined with rapidly changing health service delivery structures are identified as major deterrents to long-term rural practice. While strategies are now being implemented, endeavours to resolve the issues lag well behind initiates offered to Medical and Nursing staff. Given the wealth of political, professional and health related issues underlying the recruitment and retention of AHPs to rural areas, total resolution of this issue may not be possible. A unified approach by AHPs combined with concerted effort and collaboration on the part of all the stakeholders may, however, allow management at a level required to sustain a viable rural AHP workforce.

Community-Engaged Older Adult-Led Policy, Systems, and Environment Interventions in the MS High Obesity Program

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 420-420
Author(s):  
Masey Smith ◽  
Katie Halfacre ◽  
Megan Holmes ◽  
David Buys
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Community Gardens ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
Poor Outcomes ◽  
New Policies ◽  
Policy Systems ◽  
Work Done

Abstract Older adults in rural areas are at unique risk for poor outcomes due to social isolation and limited access to resources. The Mississippi High Obesity Program (HOP) aims to enhance access to social connections and resources like community gardens, food pantries, and physical activity as part of its broader objective to prevent and reduce obesity. Through policy, systems and environment strategies, development of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) between aforementioned entities, and community based participatory research approaches, Mississippi HOP efforts enhance food systems improvement efforts; grow multi-sectoral collaboration; and evaluate the effectiveness of new policies, and specifically MOUs, in reaching these goals. Older adults represent more than 40% (n=27) of all coalition members and stakeholder leaders (n=61); they are essential for the success of these initiatives. This presentation will highlight the work done during the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of and benefits to older adults, especially ones in rural communities.

scholarly journals Rural Exposures: An Examination of Three Initiatives to Introduce and Immerse Preservice Teachers into Rural Communities and Rural Schools in the U.S. and Australia

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 12-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Mitchell ◽  
Allison Wynhoff Olsen ◽  
Patrick Hampton ◽  
James Hicks ◽  
Danette Long ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Rural Schools ◽  
The United States ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Rural School Districts ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Initial Exposure ◽  
The U.S

One ongoing challenge that educator preparation programs frequently encounter is their limited ability to authentically expose preservice teachers (PSTs) to rural schools and potential careers in rural school districts. To remedy this concern, faculty at three institutions in both the United States and Australia have developed targeted initiatives designed to provide initial exposure to rural schools, build a rural-intensive element within a practicum course, and establish rural immersion experiences for PSTs. A detailed look at the structure of these programs, a comparison of these three diverse approaches, and recommendations for the expansion and sustainability of these efforts are highlighted within this narrative. Through this comparison of activities being advanced in both countries, the authors provide a better understanding of the options and effectiveness related to initial rural school exposure.

The Spread of Youth Gangs into Rural Areas: A Survey of School Counselors

1996 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 18-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Caldarella ◽  
Jim Sharpnack ◽  
Travis Loosli ◽  
Kenneth W. Merrell
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Inner City ◽  
School Counselors ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Rural Youth ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Current Level ◽  
Youth Gangs ◽  
Crime Problem ◽  
Level Of Activity

Although the study of inner city youth gangs has received substantial attention in the literature, such is not the case for rural youth gangs. In this study 41 rural school counselors from eight western states were surveyed on their perceptions of the extent of gang and crime problems in their schools and communities. The results of this study suggest an emerging gang and crime problem in these rural communities, for which the majority of school counselors felt ill prepared. More research and intervention is encouraged, both as a means of alleviating the current level of activity, as well as to help prevent the further spread of gang problems into these rural areas.

scholarly journals Promoting Teaching in Rural Schools

2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin Ralph
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Schools ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Cooperating Teachers ◽  
College Of Education ◽  
Rural School ◽  
School Divisions ◽  
The Stability ◽  
The University

This study extends previous investigations of interns’ and their cooperating teachers’ views of teaching in rural schools, which were conducted in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001. The present paper includes findings from a survey conducted in 2002 of a fifth cohort of interns and their classroom cooperating teachers. It examined the same four items analyzed in the four previous studies (namely: the advantages of teaching in rural areas, the disadvantages of doing so, recommendations about practicum placements for future interns, and advice for these interns), as well as items that also solicited respondents’ views of what the University’s College of Education and the rural school divisions could do to promote both interning and teaching in rural schools. Findings are synthesized and implications are drawn for both the University and the school divisions involved in these studies as well as for other institutions in similar situations—with respect to improving internship and teaching, and to helping promote the stability of rural communities, of which the school is often a key component.

Developing Excellence in Indigenously-Informed Research: Collaboration between African Communities and the Academy

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 8-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ladislaus M. Semali ◽  
Robert M. Ackerman ◽  
Sterling G. Bradley ◽  
Christine N. Buzinde ◽  
Marla L. Jaksch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Research Collaboration ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Academic Departments ◽  
State University ◽  
Rural Tanzania ◽  
Beliefs And Values ◽  
Development Goals

This article outlines a community-based participatory research strategy called Community Driven Development (CDD). This approach strives for excellence in bridging the gap between academic departments and rural communities by shifting the culture of the academy toward greater community engagement. Taking rural Tanzania as a case study, researchers from Pennsylvania State University and Tumaini University, as well as residents of Leguruki and Chekereni, work together to define and conduct research to improve wellbeing and promote sustainability of indigenous communities while employing methodologies that recognize communities as equal partners. In this collaboration, scholars entered into a dialogue with rural community residents to exchange ideas about pertinent local beliefs and values, traditional practices, and folk knowledge, and to better understand how residents apply their knowledge systems to address the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and policies affecting their wellbeing.

Rural Development

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Forbes ◽  
Sylvia-Linda Kaktins
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Development ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
University Of Pennsylvania ◽  
State University ◽  
University Of North Texas ◽  
Research Perspective ◽  
The Many

Rural development could be defined simply as economic development in rural areas. However, practitioners and researchers find rural development involves more than mere economic strategies. Many rural communities struggle with changes from resource extractive to service-based economies, along with cultural impacts of globalization (Harrington 1995; Ewert 1997). Rural development in response is becoming integrative like geography, considering class structure, community values, natural resources, social capital, sustainability, and regional and global forces (World Commission on Environment and Development 1987; Straussfogel 1997; Heartland Center for Leadership Development 1998). Rural development has represented an explicit research perspective within geography since 1982. Geographers, through their ability to integrate human and physical aspects of place, can help communities assess complex change and devise strategies to meet their goals (Stoddart 1986; Turner 1989; Abler et al. 1992). Integrated descriptions of human and physical aspects of place can benefit relationships with undergraduate students (Marshall 1991), other geographers (Bowler et al. 1992), rural development researchers in other fields, and rural development practitioners (Kenzer 1989). Geographers may be especially useful in the interdisciplinary world of sustainable development (Wilbanks 1994). The Rural Development Specialty Group began in 1982 as the result of an International Geographic Union (IGU) working group meeting in Fresno, California. The group was formed “to promote sharing of ideas and information among geographers interested in the many facets of rural development.” Richard Lonsdale (University of Nebraska) and Donald Q. Innis (State University of New York at Geneseo) were co-founders. Subsequent leaders included Vincent Miller (Indiana University of Pennsylvania), John Dietz (University of Northern Colorado), Al Larson (University of Illinois at Chicago), Paul Frederic (University of Maine at Farmington), Henry Moon (University of Toledo), Brad Baltensperger (Michigan Technological University), Karen Nichols (State University of New York at Geneseo), William Forbes (University of North Texas), and Peter Nelson (Middlebury College). The group may soon merge with the Contemporary Agriculture and Rural Land Use Specialty Group, forming a larger Rural Geography Specialty Group that will continue to provide a forum for rural development research in geography.

Rural communities need better state education policies

2021 ◽  
Vol 103 (4) ◽  
pp. 8-13
Author(s):  
David Arsen ◽  
Tanner Delpier ◽  
Annie Gensterblum ◽  
Rebecca Jacobsen ◽  
Alexandra Stamm
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Limited Attention ◽  
Michigan State University ◽  
State University ◽  
Education Policies ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
State Education ◽  
State Programs

The specific needs of rural schools and communities have received limited attention from state policy makers, and many state programs have only added to the challenges that school districts in rural areas face. Michigan State University researchers surveyed and interviewed rural superintendents in Michigan to learn more about their situations. Superintendents identified teacher recruitment and retention, the need for mental health services, limited broadband access, and insufficient funding as their most pressing challenges. The researchers note that addressing these challenges will require state leaders to pay specific attention to rural needs and develop rural-conscious education policies.

scholarly journals Factors influencing recruitment and retention of professional nurses, doctors and allied health professionals in rural hospitals in KwaZulu Natal

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Haskins ◽  
Sifiso A. Phakathi ◽  
Merridy Grant ◽  
Christiane M. Horwood
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Allied Health Professionals ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Recruitment And Retention ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Professional Nurses

Introduction: In South Africa fewer health professionals (HPs) work in rural areas compared to urban areas, despite rural communities having greater health needs. This study explores factors influencing recruitment and retention of three categories of HPs in KwaZulu-Natal and has implications about how to retain them in rural areas.Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive survey was conducted in 8 hospitals, 5 rural and 3 urban, in one district in KZN in 2011. Data were collected on single day in each hospital and all HPs on duty were requested to participate. We compared responses from rural and urban based HP as well as professional nurses (PNs), doctors, and allied HPs.Results: 417 questionnaires were completed: 150 from HPs in rural and 267 from HPs in urban hospitals. Perceptions of living/working in rural areas is negative and the quality of health care provided in rural areas is perceived as poor by all categories of HP. Rural-basedHPs were more likely to report living apart from spouse/partner (72.1% vs 37.0%, p < 0.001)and children (76.7% vs 36.9%, p < 0.001), and living in hospital accommodation (50.8% vs 28.9%; p < 0.001).Conclusions: Decisions made by HP about where to work are complex, multifactorial and should be tailored to each category of health professional.

TURNING FARMERS INTO SOCIAL FARMER ENTREPRENEURS FOR DISADVANTAGED PEOPLE

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Remus Runcan
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Healthy Environment ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural Development Programme ◽  
Rural And Urban

According to Romania’s National Rural Development Programme, the socio-economic situation of the rural environment has a large number of weaknesses – among which low access to financial resources for small entrepreneurs and new business initiatives in rural areas and poorly developed entrepreneurial culture, characterized by a lack of basic managerial knowledge – but also a large number of opportunities – among which access of the rural population to lifelong learning and entrepreneurial skills development programmes and entrepreneurs’ access to financial instruments. The population in rural areas depends mainly on agricultural activities which give them subsistence living conditions. The gap between rural and urban areas is due to low income levels and employment rates, hence the need to obtain additional income for the population employed in subsistence and semi-subsistence farming, especially in the context of the depopulation trend. At the same time, the need to stimulate entrepreneurship in rural areas is high and is at a resonance with the need to increase the potential of rural communities from the perspective of landscape, culture, traditional activities and local resources. A solution could be to turn vegetal and / or animal farms into social farms – farms on which people with disabilities (but also adolescents and young people with anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicide, and alexithymia issues) might find a “foster” family, bed and meals in a natural, healthy environment, and share the farm’s activities with the farmer and the farmer’s family: “committing to a regular day / days and times for a mutually agreed period involves complying with any required health and safety practices (including use of protective clothing and equipment), engaging socially with the farm family members and other people working on and around the farm, and taking on tasks which would include working on the land, taking care of animals, or helping out with maintenance and other physical work”

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