Despite evidenced challenges compared to non-rural areas, rural communities are in a unique position to help address recent national demands for renewed STEM emphasis in schools (Saw & Agger, 2021). This study utilizes interviews from five rural educators who participated in a three-week STEM learning camp to discuss: 1) how teachers perceive…

Response to Intervention (RTI) has emerged as a leading framework for closing achievement gaps--a priority in education to ensure that all students, regardless of their background, have equal access to quality education and the opportunity to succeed academically. Nonetheless, the extent to which RTI is effectively implemented can vary…

Attending school does not necessarily lead to learning. In the classroom, quality of teaching is one of the most significant factors in determining pupil outcomes. Structured pedagogy programmes are designed to support teaching practice and have led to improved learning outcomes at scale across different contexts including in low-income countries.…

This study was prompted by a desire to understand the relationship between reflective practice using classroom instructional video observations and teacher perception of effectiveness. This was a mixed methods study in which quantitative data were collected from a pre- and post-survey using a Likert scale and qualitative data from weekly pre- and…

Since the 1960s, business leaders and educators used the idea of "goal setting theory" as a guide to success. Teachers who implemented goal setting strategies contributed to student success and achievement. During my study, I found little existing literature focused on academic goal setting implementation for students in Tennessee rural…

The goal of Smithsonian Science for North and South Carolina Classrooms was to provide teachers with ongoing, differentiated professional development and research-based curricular materials to improve elementary student achievement in science, mathematics, and reading. This work used an inquiry-based science curriculum, Smithsonian Science for the…

The five-year project, "Smithsonian Science for North and South Carolina Classrooms" (hereafter "Smithsonian Science"), offers important evidence on the impact of the phenomena-driven science curriculum, "Smithsonian Science for the Classroom," paired with ongoing, differentiated, high-quality professional learning…

Tennessee educational leaders initially implemented Response to Instruction and Intervention for the same reason other states across the nation adopted the framework; to identify students with specific learning disability. In 2014, Tennessee restructured the Response to Instruction and Intervention model to move from the traditional three-tiered…

In this study, I explored the perception of school leaders and teachers in a rural middle school in Southern Italy. For my conceptual framework, I pulled on three bodies of scholarship: intercultural education, the overall importance of school leaders, and teachers' attitudes towards immigrant students. I conducted a basic qualitative study using…

The purpose of this study was to assess the perceptions of middle school math teachers, as captured by survey ratings, of the frequency and quality of professional development programs. The study further examined the relationship of these perceptions to the degree to which professional development increased self-efficacy and social connections.…

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…

A qualitative case study explored teachers' perceptions and beliefs about a mandated literacy instruction program at a mid-western rural middle school. This study used the implementation of a mandated reading and writing program as a basis for learning how programs can be sustainable and provide teachers with self-efficacy. This study used…

Transition is about change, and change comes with its challenges. School transitions are challenging events in students' educational paths, with possible negative effects on their development. The transition from middle school to high school is one of the most difficult, generating many school dropouts. Recovering from disrupted educational…

In this study, we examine teachers' perceptions concerning the relative importance of different administrative supports for teacher retention across school levels (i.e., middle and high schools), retention status (i.e., low or high), and locale (i.e., rural and urban). Results from our Best--Worst Scaling analyses, with a sample of 178 South…

Research on the role of teacher agency has been growing significantly during the last decade. Agentic teachers act purposefully and constructively to direct their professional development and contribute to the quality of education, especially in rural areas. Professional development is mutually constituted between teachers and socio-cultural…