Community college sports teams don't play in nationally televised bowl games or championship tournaments that inspire betting pools in offices across America, but athletic teams at community colleges, especially those in rural areas, play a vital role in attracting a cohort of students who are culturally diverse. This article discusses the…

For a school improvement initiative to succeed, education leaders must do more than adopt a new program and train staff. This issue of "SEDL Insights" explores steps that leaders can take to ensure the successful implementation of a new program or practice.

In American popular culture, the word "rural" invokes images of sunny farms and little red schoolhouses--while "urban" means drugs, poverty, and crime. But those who know the reality of both worlds will say that rural schools face many of the same challenges as their urban counterparts. The problems of rural schools are often…

Rural educational issues cannot be addressed by a one size-fits-all approach to school improvement, but current research offers some solutions and insights into turning around low-performing rural districts and schools. Of the four possibilities set forth by the U.S. Department of Education, the transformation model holds the most promise for…

Jodi Fletcher is a teacher on special assignment in curriculum instruction and assessment for Falcon School District 49 in Colorado. Serving about 12,500 students across 16 schools, the district encompasses the northeastern portion of Colorado Springs and the rural area of Falcon. About 30 percent of students in the district are from military…

The impact of the economic crisis in America is having significant consequences across all environments. Children in Alabama are being hit particularly hard, with budget constraints leading to greatly reduced services for marginalized children and families in rural and urban areas. According to the United States Census Bureau, 16.6% of the…

As Internet technology encroached on the public school classroom about a decade ago, Kim Ross, superintendent of the Houston School District in Houston, Minnesota, saw an opportunity. At first, he and his administrative team simply wanted to offer students in the district of 1,300 access to more classes via the web than what a district that size…

The authors argue that leadership networks when comprised of regional stakeholders including university faculty, school system administrators, and teacher leaders can begin to work together towards common reform goals. (Contains 1 figure.)

In rural America, community members are working together to reform education, revitalize communities, and improve the quality of life. This article describes long-term efforts, such as Alabama's PACERS program, Georgia's REAL Enterprises project, and Minnesota's Center for School Change. Smaller-scale efforts in Nebraska, Mississippi, and South…

Elementary and high school students participating in a photography project of the PACERS Small Schools Cooperative in Alabama learn photography and photojournalist skills, work as a group in sharing equipment and assisting one another, and apply math and chemistry skills in the darkroom. Instructions for making a pinhole camera are included. (CDS)

Describes how a rural school system in Alabama generated financial support for the school when the city council passed an ordinance to raise taxes. The school receives portions of an Occupational License Fee, a gasoline tax, and sales tax. The increased revenues have been used for building projects, salaries, and distance education. (KS)

In this article, the author relates his experience of being attacked for teaching American history at a rural school in north Alabama using a critical, more inclusive approach to American history and social studies. He describes how he struggled with the notion of perspective in teaching primary documents, particularly papers written by those not…

The University of Alabama's Program for Rural Services and Research uses the following strategies to nurture rural schools: (1) awards program in writing; (2) school newspaper competition; (3) placement of student teachers; and (4) playground development. The Alabama Coalition of Citizens for Excellence in Small Schools gives rural residents a…

Examines family-school connections and sense of place in rural Alabama, observing that rural communities and schools often have many attributes related to strong identification with place (e.g., shared norms and values). However, many other attributes of place closely connected with school-success-related elements of social capital may be present…

The quality of education received by children in the southern states will be greatly impacted by technological change, which will present educators with both unprecedented opportunities and substantial risks. As the four model programs described in this paper illustrate, advances in telecommunications and computer hardware and software can be used…