Teacher retention continues to be a deeply concerning issue in the United States. The purpose of this case study was to examine the impact of professional development on the retention of novice teachers in two rural school districts in Oklahoma. This case study was viewed through the lens of Bandura's (1977) Self-Efficacy Theory. Purposeful…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to provide rich descriptive answers from caregivers in a rural Title I school district in regards to their participation in their children's education as well as any perceived barriers that potentially would prevent participation. Using Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler's (2010) Model of Parental Involvement, the…

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…

This study aims to address the gap in technology integration within rural Oklahoma schools by examining teacher perceptions regarding the barriers preventing them from effectively integrating technology into their instruction. The findings from this study will offer valuable insight into understanding the current state of technology integration in…

The purpose of this descriptive correlational quantitative study was to examine contributing factors of students and teachers affecting teacher self-efficacy and students' reading achievement in rural Oklahoma elementary schools in grades first through fifth. The contributing factors of students being analyzed included (a) poverty and (b) race or…

This explanatory mixed methods study explores rural Oklahoma STEM subjects and STEM elective teachers' professional experiences, including professional development and certification pathways. Participants completed the Teacher Beliefs and Attitudes Toward STEM Survey (T-STEM Survey, Friday Institute for Education Innovation, 2012) for teachers and…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how rural schools and communities responded to the COVID-19 pandemic through compassionate care. Design/methodology/approach: This paper provides "compassion narratives" (Frost et al., 2006, p. 851) from five educators (i.e. the authors) working and/or living in rural communities. Each…

Project ENGAGE was an Education Innovation and Research federal grant awarded to the Osage County Interlocal Cooperative in October of 2017. This study addressed the effect of a combination of literacy and behavioral supports on the academic outcomes of elementary students in rural public schools. The five-year multi-element study included a…

The target of this qualitative case study was to discern the effectiveness of principals' servant leadership style in retaining elementary school teachers in two rural elementary schools in Oklahoma. Research shows that a great model of leadership to choose as an administrator is that of a servant leader. Servant leadership makes sure that the…

The volume of teachers leaving the educational field is ever-pervasive across schools in the United States (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2019). Researchers have been highlighting the causes and implications of teacher attrition and mobility for decades (Bobbit et al., 1991; Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2019; Ingersoll, 2001;…

"Believing in Public Education: A Demographic and State-level Analysis of Public Charter School and District Public School Enrollment Trends" is a new data analysis that examines enrollment trends during the last four school years (2019-2023). Over the last four school years (2019-20 to 2022-23), charter schools have gained more than…

A growing problem in Oklahoma public schools is that some teachers integrate education technology into their classrooms while others do not. The need for adaptable practices with technology in classrooms has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic. Heitink et al. (2016) state that integrating technology use into the classroom often requires changes to…

Due to COVID-19, many school systems and teachers were required to use a new platform for instructional delivery. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the experiences of six veteran teachers who have implemented blended learning in their classrooms within the past three years in one rural Oklahoma school district. Purposeful…

The purpose of this quantitative comparative quasi-experimental study was to compare the perceptions of work-life balance and turnover intentions of four-day and five-day rural Oklahoma classroom teachers. Four-day school districts have become increasingly popular across the United States as a way to reduce operational expenses, with 92 four-day…

Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. students attend rural schools. Researchers report that at least half of public schools are rural in 12 states (i.e., Montana, South Dakota, Vermont, North Dakota, Maine, Alaska, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Wyoming, New Hampshire, Iowa, and Mississippi) (Showalter et al., 2019). Providing quality education to all rural students is a…