The state of Texas has an "essential knowledge" component in some high school science courses indicating that students be able to describe connections between academic science content and future jobs or training through effective exposure to course content. The participants in this study were from a small rural high school in central…

Total technology immersion doesn't happen overnight, but with vision and determination, transformation can take hold and start to grow. Floydada Independent School District (FISD), winner of the 2010 Sylvia Charp Award for District Innovation in Technology, is a great example of what a district can achieve when starting with a modest tech…

The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to investigate the impact of one-to-one student issued laptop computers on secondary campuses in four rural Texas school districts. Data were collected using focus groups which included 27 leaders in four rural Texas school districts that had implemented the one-to-one laptop initiative. The…

The purpose of this study was to determine predictors of student retention in generic baccalaureate nursing programs. The following question was addressed: How well do the independent variables of Self-Directed Learning Readiness (SDLR), nursing self-efficacy (NSE), and program admission predict retention of students enrolled in the first two…

Over the past two decades, community organizing has emerged as an effective force for school improvement. In the context of shrinking education funding, stubborn opportunity and achievement gaps between low-income and wealthy children and between children of color and White children, and polarizing debate on school reform, community organizing…

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…

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…

Papers from the proceedings of the 14th Annual Conference of the Bulgarian Comparative Education Society was submitted in two volumes. Volume 1 contains papers submitted at the conference held in Sofia, Bulgaria, June 14-17, 2016. Volume 2 contains papers submitted at the 4th International Partner Conference of the International Research Centre…

This article reports the results of an inquiry into the dynamics of principal selection in rural school districts in two mid-American states with high numbers of rural schools. The study focuses on two questions: (1) are rural school districts experiencing a shortage of qualified applicants for vacant principal's positions; and (2) what…

As a result of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, many school districts have reduced instructional time for the arts in order to focus on reading and mathematics. Accordingly, fine arts programs across the nation have become subject to budget cuts or elimination in order to meet federal accountability measures. Hit especially hard are…

The purpose of this research is to examine the superintendent's role in closing the achievement gap in a culturally diverse rural school district. This topic is especially important and timely as accountability for student and school success appears to have a national focus. The literature within the last 15 years indicates consistent methods of…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there exists a relationship between student achievement in Texas, as measured by the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test, and the size of the high school at different socioeconomic levels. This study compared five size categories of Texas high schools to determine which size high…

This volume presents the 2010 Yearbook of the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA). This year's theme is "Promoting Critical Ideas of Leadership, Culture and Diversity." This yearbook contains five parts. Part 1, Invited Chapters, includes the following: (1) President's Message: Critical Issues in…

This study sought to determine the factors that influenced student decisions to participate in FFA in a rural school and their level of involvement as an FFA member. Data was collected from 2,111 high school students in 41 rural high schools in Arizona, Florida, and Texas. Discriminant analysis identified four factors that influence participation…

The first two decades of the 20th century breathed a spirit of progressivism into American life. This freshened sense of possibility extended few social and political benefits to Southern African Americans and their impoverished schools. Several Northern influential philanthropists and their foundations initiated and funded multi-year programs in…