The Northwest Rural Innovation and Student Engagement (NW RISE) Network connects rural educators in the Pacific Northwest to help them succeed in the profession and overcome the challenges caused by teacher isolation. In this article, the author takes stock of what was learned in the four years since the network was established. She also shares…

This chapter describes an innovative program that weaves together adult learning, transformative education, and indigenous epistemology in order to prepare Alaskan rural indigenous social service providers to better serve their communities.

In this descriptive and comparative study, we present results highlighting the complexity and scope of the challenges facing rural districts as they navigate the changing demographics of the students and families they serve. Rapid increases in the number and concentration of racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse students in rural areas…

We explain in this article the need for board training in rural America irrespective of industry or government sector. We discuss how an assessment of training needs has led to the launch of a new project called the National Board Basics Curriculum (NBBC) project. In this project, we have identified four key core competencies that every board…

Indigenous students in rural Alaska hold high educational aspirations and yet few students realize their educational goals (Hamilton & Seyfrit, 1993; Kleinfeld & McDiarmid, 1986; McDiarmid & Kleinfeld, 1981). Our purpose in this study was to understand why so many Alaska Native students from small, isolated communities…

Many Alaskan schools are located in extremely remote or "fly-in" places. These geographical extremes affect the recruitment and retention of teachers to remote rural schools. Through a partnership between the Southwest Region School District of Alaska and the Department of Education at Alaska Pacific University (APU), 14 pre-service…

Each school, district, or state has a unique set of circumstances and obstacles to deal with in implementing a one-to-one laptop program. That is especially true of Denali Borough School District in Alaska. Located in the Alaskan interior, it encompasses Denali National Park (with North America's tallest mountain), covers more than 12,000 square…

Principles of the Reggio Emilia approach are a catalyst for thinking about practices in early childhood education. Teachers in the child care system of Reggio Emilia encourage us to think about our image of childhood and the ways we interact with children, plan curriculum, and design environments. This article examines experiences in a rural…

Teleconferences are one method for improving the quality of schooling in rural communities. Among suggestions for enhancing teleconferencing are face-to-face meetings, familiarity with teleconference technology, and advance notice to students of materials to be examined in such courses. (PB)

Focuses on the University of Alaska's Community College, Rural Education, and Extension Division, which includes 10 community colleges with large service areas and limited financial resources. Cites examples of innovative delivery systems and networks and statewide programs that enhance the availability and coordination of programs in rural areas.…

Recounts a teacher's speech to graduating seniors after they had spent four years as her students. (SRT)

Discusses Alaska's Centralized Correspondence Studies program which offers arts electives to the state's rural, isolated, secondary students. Examples of student art work and poetry are included. (SJL)

The role of technology in rural Alaskan education is described in relation to seven problems: remoteness; limited curricula; small, multigraded classes; imbedded cultural traditions; dispersed management structures; inadequate training opportunities; and high cost. The issues of control, standardization, and scale are also discussed. (PB)

Over its 40 years, Head Start has evolved from serving a population of primarily Spanish-speaking English-language learners to working with children and families who speak more than 140 different languages. In some Head Start classrooms, as many as 10 different languages are used by the children. In other classrooms, a majority of the…

Describes Eagle (Alaska) Community School as a model of educational effectiveness resulting from a 10-year old state policy of turning control of rural schools back to regionally/locally elected boards of education. Also credits effectiveness to community support, increased administrator/teacher retention, and continuity of curriculum. (NEC)