Background: School district implementation of a four-day school week (4DSW) calendar has skyrocketed in recent years, despite little evidence regarding the impact on student and teacher outcomes. Between 1999 and 2019, the number of 4DSW districts increased by over 500% (Thompson et al., 2021). Since 2019, the rate of 4DSW adoption has increased…

This mixed-method study sought to find specific factors influencing teachers in small, remote, rural school districts to continue teaching or to leave their teaching position. Additionally, this study sought to identify specific things district-level administrators could do influence teacher retention rates in small, remote, rural school…

The purpose of the study is to analyze disaggregate rural public teacher retention data to determine significant differences in retention by race, gender, and educational attainment. Missouri public schools in Northwest Missouri, who are considered rural through the years 2019-2021 were included in this study. ANOVA test results were analyzed to…

Effective school leadership directly and indirectly influences the school setting and teacher and student outcomes (Eliophotou-Menon & Ioannou, 2016). The research of this study examined perceptions of active school teacher's perceptions of their rural superintendent's leadership to be effective in southwest Missouri schools. Kent's (2004)…

A four-day school week (4dsw) is becoming more common, especially in areas across the western United States. States with large rural areas are spearheading this change. For example, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and South Dakota have more than 500 districts using a 4dsw. The transition to the 4dsw and the debate over…

Description: This study is designed to provide a better understanding of the dynamic and geographic character of the teacher labor market, including factors related to mobility and attrition, in rural and nonrural settings in four REL Central region states--Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota. State and district administrators may use…

This report describes teacher and school characteristics related to teacher movement within and out of public school systems in Colorado, Missouri, and South Dakota. Stakeholders in each of these states expressed interest in better understanding teacher mobility and attrition and related factors. The authors used administrative data provided by…

The four-day school week (4dsw) is growing in popularity, especially in rural areas across the western United States. RAND Corporation researchers addressed knowledge gaps about the 4dsw by conducting a large-scale study of the implementation and outcomes of the 4dsw that involved the collection of original data in numerous districts across Idaho,…

This qualitative research study was focused on equitable access that promotes a more balanced distribution of highly effective teachers across school systems, particularly in those settings where there are higher concentrations of underserved student populations. Research has shown the lowest poverty students were twice as likely to have access to…

This monograph offers an in-depth look at the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Rural Systemic Initiative (RSI) efforts, an investment of more than $140 million to reform mathematics and science programs in rural K-12 public education and tribal education. The authors seek to promote a foundation of contextual understanding for improving public…

Teach for America (TFA) is perceived as a major player in the education wars over the future of public schools, and a key ally of those who disparage teacher unions and schools of education, and who are enamored of entrepreneurial reforms that bolster the privatization of a once-sacred public responsibility. But what exactly is TFA's role in these…

Available research supports a belief that a high-quality mathematics education for high school students cannot be accomplished unless a highly qualified mathematics teacher is in the classroom. This author primarily addresses the need for small, rural schools in Missouri to employ such highly-qualified mathematics teachers, although he also states…

In 2001, Missouri's K-16 project launched the K-12 Task Force on Achievement Gap Elimination, which believes that improving teacher quality is the single most important factor in eliminating the achievement gap among Missouri students. This report describes the significance of teacher quality on student achievement, emphasizing the uneven…