In this article, the authors discuss a rural middle school teacher's use of YouTube, digital stories, and blogs in a language arts curriculum. The authors also share the voices of middle school students as they learn through this technology in the classroom. Although a wide variety of technology integration exists in this middle school language…

In this empirical study, teacher reported knowledge, use, preparation, and importance of higher-level thinking summative assessment questions were analyzed. This study was conducted using a survey distributed to seven Minnesota high schools that represented urban, suburban, and rural settings. Survey responses were cross tabulated with demographic…

The study examined the No Child Left Behind Act as it relates to the recruiting and retention of special education teachers in rural school districts. The focus of the research was to examine those factors that have influenced teachers to leave the profession or to seek employment in more urban school districts. Data for the study were collected…

Small schools are not just about size. They are also about authentic instruction, portfolio evaluation, and a thematic curriculum. Their agendas overlap with that of charter schools. They have an uncomfortable and sometimes adversarial relationship with standards, accountability, and the No Child Left Behind Act. They have migrated from their…

Comparing a small, rural school with sometimes less than 100 students to a massive inner-city school with greater than 2,500 students is crude and untenable. There are simply too many variables. Nonetheless, the No Child Left Behind Act treats these two very different schools the same. When urban and rural schools cannot meet AYP or highly…

As rural Appalachian schools in Ohio in the United States struggle to overcome institutional bias and lack of understanding to accommodate the needs of the growing population of immigrant students from diverse countries, immigrant parents struggle to fit into a new cultural environment and to secure the best education for their children. This…

Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) data from one rural school system covering four groups of children for a consecutive three year period was used to study the impact of transient students entering the school system. The analysis compared native children (those on roll since the first year) with transient children added to or deleted…

Serious reading problems exist among middle school learners as evidenced by declining national reading scores and increased dropout rates. In response to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) expectations in reading, several experts have promoted a scripted repeated reading strategy such as readers' theater as a possible approach to improving student…

This applied dissertation was designed to provide a formative evaluation of junior high and high school curriculum reform as part of a state initiated pilot program in a rural school district in southwest Mississippi. The purpose of the program was to address and respond to the 8th-grade technology literacy requirements of the No Child Left Behind…

This book affords Latino high school dropouts from rural communities in Idaho the opportunity to tell their stories in their own words. It candidly reveals students' school experiences, explores why students leave school, and looks at the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act (2001). Four of the nine students interviewed for the book passed…

State and local educators encountered both opportunities and obstacles in their first year of implementing the School Improvement Grants (SIGs) funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). In 2009, the ARRA, better known as the economic stimulus package, provided $3 billion for SIGs to help reform persistently low-achieving…

Since the passage of The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, a superintendent's role has been redefined and more focus has been placed on student achievement. Research demonstrates that rural public schools are faced with an educational crisis. Rural districts are faced with an epidemic of declining enrollments/budgets, increased drop-out rates, low…

A qualitative descriptive case study explored courses of action for educators and leaders of math and science educators to implement to help students achieve state assessment standard and postsecondary success. The problem focused on two demographically similar rural high schools in Southwest Washington that demonstrated inadequate rates of…

Across the country states and school districts need to improve the mathematics performance of students with disabilities. This population of students increased since the 1970s, and there have also been changes in education expectations and accountability under the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Acts of 1997 and 2004…

In spring 2009, the Center on Education Policy (CEP) continued its research on the impact of test-based federal and state accountability policies by conducting case studies of six high schools in six different districts within Washington State. The purpose was to learn more about the curricular and instructional changes that administrators and…