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.

scholarly journals Rural and Small School Principal Candidates

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia A. Cruzeiro ◽  
Mike Boone
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Rural Schools ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
School Principal ◽  
Principal Selection ◽  
Rural School Districts ◽  
Small School ◽  
Principal Candidates

This article reports the results of an inquiry into the dynamics of principal selection in rural school districts in two mid-American states with high numbers of rural schools. The study focuses on two questions: (1) are rural school districts experiencing a shortage of qualified applicants for vacant principal’s positions; and (2) what professional and personal characteristics do superintendents seek in selecting principals for rural schools? Data for the study were collected through a review of the relevant research literature and interviews with superintendents of rural school districts. The study confirmed that rural school districts in these two states are in fact not experiencing a shortage of qualified principal applicants and delineates specific professional and personal characteristics superintendents seek in the principals who lead rural schools.  

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.

scholarly journals Turnaround Reform Efforts in a Rural Context: How Community and Culture Impart Change

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Mette
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Rural Setting ◽  
School Turnaround ◽  
Rural School Districts ◽  
District Administrators ◽  
Turnaround School ◽  
Rural Context ◽  
Successful School ◽  
Policy Perceptions

This article furthers research on the necessary components of what supports successful school turnaround, and also explores how and why two rural schools taking part in a Midwest State Turnaround School Project were successful in implementing school turnaround policy. Perceptions of building principals, district administrators, and regional support staff implementing turnaround policy were considered. Data were collected from 13 participants and analyses focused on the culture created and leadership provided by two rural school districts during the State Turnaround Schools Project implementation. Previous research has detailed district communication, district support of the turnaround principal, and shared leadership as important factors. However this article explores how and why the two participating rural school districts were successful implementing school turnaround and identifies the cultural and community conditions that support school turnaround in a rural setting.  

Preparation of teachers to work with communicatively handicapped students in rural schools

1986 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 6-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Beth Sarachan-Deily
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Rural Schools ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Communication Disorders ◽  
The United States ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Rural School Districts ◽  
Service Levels

There is a shortage of qualified speech-language pathologists in rural school districts throughout the United States. As a result, many communicatively handicapped students in rural areas are underserved. The need for information concerning communication disorders in rural areas, at both the preservice and in service levels, has become critical. The results of a three-year collaborative project between The College of Saint Rose and fifteen rural school districts in upstate New York are presented, with implications for other universities, rural school districts, and academic disciplines. Suggestions for using collaborative strategies in preparing communication disordered students to work in rural schools, and needs for the future are discussed.

scholarly journals Recruiting and Interviewing Teachers in Rural School Districts

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joe Nichols
Keyword(s):  
Student Achievement ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Rural Schools ◽  
Mississippi River ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Mississippi River Delta ◽  
Rural School Districts ◽  
Teacher Surveys ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Survey Results

Through administrator and teacher surveys and interviews, this study examined recruiting and interviewing practices of eighty-three rural school districts located in, and between, the rural Ozark Plateau and Mississippi River Delta. Survey results indicated that districts with smaller student populations were far less likely to have an identified protocol in place to recruit and interview teachers. In addition, the study found that critical issues such as student achievement and qualifications of teachers were not addressed during the recruiting or interviewing phases of the employment process. Finally, this research brought to light questionable interviewing practices leading the author to make recommendations for rural schools’ implementation of measurable interviewing protocol.  

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.

Developing University-School Partnerships to Support Students and Teachers in Rural Schools

2020 ◽  
pp. 295-318
Author(s):  
Cheryl Y. Lambert ◽  
Lori Allen ◽  
Lisa Barron
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Rural Schools ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Rural Poverty ◽  
Rural School ◽  
School Partnerships ◽  
Children In Poverty ◽  
University School Partnerships ◽  
Support Students

This chapter examines the potential for positive impact from partnerships between rural school districts and universities, currently underexplored and overlooked. The challenges facing rural schools offer opportunities for school districts and university partners to develop, organize, and implement strategies for productive collaboration. Examining the rural, educational landscape through the lens of children in poverty, this chapter offers a view of urgency for educational reform. This chapter examines the challenges of high-poverty, rural schools; the rationale for building university-school partnerships with rural schools; insight into building trust with rural school leaders and teachers; and suggestions for developing practical programs which benefit children in rural poverty. Practical suggestions for improving the quality of the educational experiences of children in poverty are included in this chapter.

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.

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