The evaluation of the Texas Rural Technology (R-Tech) Pilot sought to understand how districts implemented R-Tech grants, the effects of implementation on student and teacher outcomes, as well as the cost effectiveness and sustainability of R-Tech. The Texas legislature (80th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2007) authorized the creation of…

Explored where bullying occurred, what kind of bullying happened, how often bullying occurred, and whom students confided in when bullying occurred at school. Surveys of rural 9th and 10th graders indicated that bullying was a very real part of their daily lives. Nearly 75 percent reported some type of bullying at school, and many observed…

This study utilized early reading assessment data from a randomized trial of 210 urban and rural schools in Texas to examine contextual effects on risk prediction in first and second grade. The primary objective was to examine the roles of (a) individual differences, (b) the grade 1 classroom, and (c) the pairing of first and second grade teachers…

This article discusses the principle of synnoetics as defined by Dr. William A. Kritsonis in the "Ways of Knowing Through the Realms of Meaning" as it chronicles the teaching career of Rhodena Townsell. Rhodena, an African American female, began her teaching career as an uncertified special education teacher in a small East Texas town.…

During the 1992-93 school year, Southwest Educational Development Laboratory conducted study of rural schools in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas that were using one kind of telecommunications technology: full-motion interactive video. Many schools were at risk of being closed because they could not provide education comparable to that available in…

Describes how a small Texas rural school district provided services to a high school student who had learning disabilities and was also academically gifted. Recommendations for providing services to twice exceptional students are given, including the need for open and flexible educational plans. (CR)

The aim of this study is to compare substance use between urban and rural secondary school districts in Texas between 1998 and 2003. The differences were analyzed using chi-square and analysis of variance. The analysis found that rural schools had students who reported higher rates of use of tobacco, frequent binge drinking, and driving while…

This paper examines the perceptions and experiences of rural special education administrators with regard to career advancement. A 31-item questionnaire was developed that focused on administrator attitudes and experiences regarding networking, mentoring, career paths, and career aspirations. The survey was completed by 15 special education…

Summarizes a study attempting to explain how an East Texas junior high principal influenced cultural values. The case study provides a time- and context-bound glimpse into the school's evolutionary acculturation process. Findings suggest no definitive ways to manage school culture but show the importance of using symbolic resources (newspapers,…

Three professors engaged in writing centers, educational technology, and service learning at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi collaborated with two technical writing teachers in a rural high school to establish a multimedia writing center and study its impact. This article presents the outcomes of this collaboration. It was found that the…

The Llano Grande Center is a non-profit education and community development organization founded in the mid-1990s by youth and teachers out of a public high school classroom in a rural South Texas (USA) community. The Center was created, in large part, to cultivate youth voices as important elements of curriculum development and teacher training…

The austerity of the Great Depression, the popularity of progressive education, and scholarly research in reading from 1900 to 1930 initiated five golden years (1933-1938) of reading improvement in West Texas rural schools. Financial restraints relieved the schools from close scrutiny by the state's education agency. Schools were forced to…

Improved strategies for sharing resources are absolutely essential to the survival of small schools. Although not all, or even a major portion, of school programs should be provided by a cooperative delivery system, a discerning superintendent and board will mobilize every resource available to them in conducting their educational programs.…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of racial identity/consciousness development on the academic achievement of African American male college freshmen. In the late 1900s Black identity models were developed to help African Americans grasp hold of who they were, as they lived in the residues of the peculiar institution of slavery.…

Student responses were elicited in classroom discussions about alcohol use in their own rural community. Teachers and parents responded to questionnaires and interviews concerning various aspects of alcohol consumption as part of the local lifestyle. Students gave reasons for drinking such as ethnic and religious acceptance in the local community,…