Schools serve an essential function for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and complex needs. However, school-based instruction may be interrupted due to pandemics, natural disasters, and school shootings, and as a result, schools are forced to stop traditional services and begin teaching students in their homes. Fortunately, distance…

Many students on the autism spectrum attend mainstream schools and face challenges coping with the demands of this complex environment. Education in rural and remote locations poses additional challenges due to limited access to additional resourcing, specialised support, and services. This case study describes a problem-solving, collaborative…

Challenges in the educational arena are not new phenomena. However, with the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers and educators have been made even more aware of the need for a paradigm shift in education. Blended learning, as opposed to fully online learning or traditional face-to-face teaching, has been well-researched and has…

Small places are not devoid of opportunities nor of successful programs to equip them for the future, despite perception to the contrary (West, 2013). This paper considers career education in the context of rural places in the modern globalised world. The paper introduces the "Pathways to Success" project, involving more than eighty…

Community colleges and non-traditional student populations, such as adult learners, often experience a unique set of academic and non-academic challenges. This is particularly true for those in rural America, where resources and community supports are less abundant. This report describes how rural community colleges are overcoming these barriers…

School leadership is as challenging as it is rewarding. And, in a fast paced educational policy environment, school leaders sometimes are having to play "catchup" with the latest government mandate. This challenge is exacerbated in environments where economic and social problems and lack of parental engagement in education are a daily…

The greater demand for administrators and teachers to stay current in the ever-changing world of technology and education (Cho, 2016; Merriam & Bierema, 2014), justifies the need for more effective, personalized approaches to professional development (Dill, 2015). The data analysis procedure in this study was multi-step and addressed the five…

Purpose: There has been a significant increase in the number of immigrant families moving to rural communities across the United States. Yet limited research exists that explores relationships between immigrant families and schools in these communities. Rural school districts are often challenged by insufficient resources, expertise, and…

Charter school Alternative Education Campuses (AECs) leverage the nimbleness of the charter school model to create unique learning opportunities nationwide for students who experience challenges that make it difficult to excel academically. Some of the challenges include homelessness, pregnancy, parenting while in school, or interaction with the…

How engaged families are in their children's lives, whether at home or in school, predicts their success in school and in life. The purpose of this study was to explore parent, educator, and community member perspectives of family engagement, preschool through grade 12, to inform state-level policy from an ecological framework. Ten semi-structured…

One strategy to improve outcomes for students with emotional and behavioral disorders and their families in rural settings is providing parental support. Through interviews with special education administrators and student services personnel representing several rural regions, this exploratory study sought to identify the needs of youth with…

Background: South Africa has a high prevalence of HIV and obesity. Interventions to date have primarily focused on adolescents and adults. Prevention of obesity, in particular, is not addressed substantively in the current pre-adolescent school curriculum. Education about factors underlying these issues early in life could reach beyond children,…

Purpose: Parent-focused interventions (PFIs) are a promising method for supporting parents and promoting children's well-being. Few PFIs in the USA, however, include physical health promotion content and are universal programs. The purpose of this paper is to describe a universal health-promoting PFI for parents of elementary school-aged children…

In the turbulent "dog eat dog" environment of the learning and skills sector in England the provision and expansion of higher education taught in further education colleges (HE in FE) offers potential opportunities for greater diversification of higher education. However, it also presents significant challenges, which include developing…

Rural schools dominate the United States, yet scant research exists on rural school leaders' development. Urban districts can transfer leaders to different locations, but rural districts, with few school sites, need leaders who stay and adapt to changing conditions. Mid-career rural leaders require a refreshed set of skills to carry school…