Background: Early childhood development (ECD) practitioners are encouraged to implement play pedagogies and their views of play as a pedagogy in rural settings have not been captured widely. They are the main role players in implementing play pedagogies for learners' learning and development. The commitment to play can be traced through theory and…

Summer programming is one of the main ways school districts have sought to help students recover academically from COVID-19 pandemic-related setbacks. Authors use a survey administered to a nationally representative sample of kindergarten through grade 12 public school districts to investigate the prevalence and structure of districts' programming…

Conducted for Arnold Ventures by Abt Associates, the "New Mexico Charter School Study: Findings Report" collates the results of Abt's evaluation of numerous charter schools in the state, several of which employ a whole-school dual language model. The study also created multiple logic models for use by practitioners, policymakers, and…

The pandemic affected the lives and social-emotional experiences of every student to some extent. Along with the unprecedented closures of schools across the country in March 2020, virtually all social activities ceased. Students were cut off from their teachers, with uneven access to live instruction and hands-on, collaborative learning. There…

Educators and students in schools across the United States have faced sweeping, unprecedented changes to teaching and learning as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which shuttered school buildings in spring 2020. This Data Note offers teachers' and principals' perspectives on some of those changes and presents their…

Writing is an essential skill for participating in modern American society. Although it is crucial to careers and civic engagement, student writing falls far short of national expectations (College Board, 2004; NCES, 2012; Persky, Daane, & Jin, 2003). The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) seek to increase the rigor of writing instruction…

Equipping youth with and without disabilities for the world of work has been the focus of ongoing legislative and policy initiatives. The authors examined the extent to which career development and vocational activities were available to and accessed by youth with severe disabilities or emotional and behavioral disorders attending 34 urban,…

Although most community colleges do not have on-campus housing, many rural two-year colleges do. Relying on federal institutional survey data, this chapter discusses issues related to the operation of residence halls and implications for both students and rural community college leaders. The chapter concludes with recommendations for policy and…

Reviews studies of unit costs among schools of differing size in United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, and Sudan. Concludes that studies suggest economies of scale in larger schools, but extent of economies and point where schools encounter diseconomies vary widely. Notes that control for quality is problematic. (DHP)

The present study examined the occupational aspirations and career development influences of children attending Years 6 and 7 at a sample of rural and remote primary schools in the central western region of Queensland. Data was collected by means of the "Revised Career Awareness Survey" (McMahon & Patton, 2001). Australian and New…

Describes results of a survey of 30 superintendents who were asked to identify the most critical issues in managing and running small rural school districts. Reports finances were the greatest worry, followed by regional economic conditions, state regulations, salaries, and providing an adequate variety of classes. (Author/DHP)

Describes the results of a survey of 108 rural South Dakota high school principals. Reports that, although principals envision themselves as instructional leaders, a majority of the day is spent on general managerial duties and discipline, with principals more concerned about task completion than about individuals or school climate. (Author/DHP)

Reports results of a survey of Idaho programs of cooperation between schools or districts. Reveals 75 percent of responding schools participate in one or more cooperative efforts and report sharing to be a successful practice. Describes major advantage of curriculum variety, but disadvantages of problems with coordination, transportation, and…

Data from Kansas' 265 rural school districts from 1978-1979 through 1983-1984 revealed that there were 194 superintendent changes and 33 central office administrator changes during that period. Based on a total of 265 superintendencies and 46 central office administrator positions, the average number of superintendent changes per year was 32.33,…

Reports on a 1983-84 nationwide descriptive study of K-12 and one-12 rural school districts enrolling 300 students or less done to provide educators with needed information on the status of the very small school district. Highlights findings on rural districts, superintendents, teachers, student performance, and school programs. (BRR)