This qualitative study explored the experience of rural students who had undergone transitions between schools to continue their studies in Years 11 and 12. A thematic content analysis identified two main themes: social relationships and school issues. Social relationships, concerned with peer interactions and student-teacher relationships, had…

This analysis draws on interview data from a three-year study of educational decision making of youth living in a coastal community in Atlantic Canada. Students whose educational and mobility aspirations extend outside the known spaces of the community develop the ability to negotiate multiple social spaces in and out of school. The school- …

There are important issues for rural communities in Australia in relation to the provision of education for their young people (HREOC, 2000). This is particularly so in an era when successful completion of education is becoming increasingly vital as the pressures of a globalised economy mean that many rural and farming businesses are struggling to…

This study examines high school expectancies in a sample of at-risk, rural youth, and how these expectancies relate to 8th grade functioning, 9th grade functioning, and 9th grade experiences of high school. A total of 76 eighth-graders and their parents, drawn from a larger study of the transition to high school, participated in interviews the…

The focus of this paper is a group of rural high school students and the factors that contributed to their participation in mathematics classes beyond those minimally required for high school graduation. The author follows Gutierrez (2002) in referring to participation as course taking, particularly in elective and advanced mathematics classes.…

Having been raised by liberal parents who had emphasized friendship and respect between people of all races, the author had often felt the desire to be a part of the continuing movement toward true equality. She viewed education as the key to reaching socioeconomic and political freedom, and she wanted to be a part of promoting that ultimate tool…

Facing financial difficulties, the Webster County Public School System in rural Kentucky implemented a four-day school week to save money on transportation and staffing. The district's research in the experience of other rural districts had indicated that such a calendar change could increase efficiency and also yield some unexpected benefits.…

Today's teachers bemoan the fact that their students, immersed in a media culture, appear to be uninterested in reading works typically assigned in traditional language arts classrooms. However, the incorporation of young adult novels has served to engage even reluctant learners with their young adult protagonists dealing with familiar themes and…

In this qualitative study, yearbook students from five suburban and five rural high schools described how they perceived themselves as diverse and how they worked through their diversity to produce inclusive yearbooks. Students knowingly used a variety of strategies in their yearbooks to involve, include, and showcase marginal students. Rural…

The purpose of the study was to examine how reader response journals followed by classroom discussion ("Reader Response Plus") contributed to students' reading comprehension and to their attitudes toward reading. The study was conducted in a rural school in upstate New York. The twelfth grade class that participated in the study…

The methods used by a teacher to engage at-risk high school students in reading and writing are highlighted. It is reported that students are provided with the first steps of success, language awareness and a sense of belonging in the school and the community.

The purpose of this study was to explore the reasons 162 rural area high school students participate in the dual enrollment program. Dual enrollment programs allow high school students to enroll in college courses for credit prior to high school graduation with local school districts covering the cost of tuition. Participants in this study were…

"Planting the Seeds: Growth in Rural Education [Two]... A Series of Choices" outlines nine effective practices in programming for small and rural schools. The nine projects are described and additional resources, contacts, and references are provided for each. The nine projects include an outreach school partnership, the use of a mobile…

Adolescents in rural and small city high schools in the western United States (N = 159) reported their perceptions of marriage and marriage education. They considered preparation for marriage important, but expressed lower familiarity with and lower intentions to attend programs than college students assessed previously. Youth valued parents,…

Between 2001 and 2005, the state of Maine shifted the focus of its statewide high school improvement efforts to include an explicit focus on adolescent literacy. One trigger for that change in focus was a 5-school adolescent literacy initiative previously launched in a rural county under the federal Northeast and Islands Regional Educational…