This paper uses data from research projects that deliberately set out to tell positive stories about educators who were working with the children and families of migratory agricultural workers in the US. The aim underpinning these projects was to move beyond the deficit discourses and stories of blame that so often circulate, particularly in…

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…

This article is about designing for educational possibilities--designs that in their inception, social organization, and implementation squarely address issues of cultural diversity, social inequality, and robust learning. I discuss an approach to design-based research, social design experiments, that privileges a social scientific inquiry…

This paper describes the development of a partnership between three campuses to develop a (DL) education program-serving employees of county and tribal Health and Human Service Departments in remote rural areas of California. Specifically, the program supports the development of a career pathway for students living in isolated regions of Northern…

Case studies of women teachers in rural California, 1850-1950, explored the nature of knowledge, influence of language on social constructions of gender, and subjectivity in historical evidence. The study concluded that feminist history concerned with the constructed quality of evidence moves uneasily between historical narrative and…

Traces decline of one-room schools from 24,000 in 1959 to about 840 today. Reports findings from 1984 survey of 643 surviving one-room schools in Nebraska, Montana, South Dakota, California, and Wyoming. Includes data on enrollments, teacher qualifications and responsibilities, student achievement, and school facilities/equipment. (NEC)

Describes program designed to increase student attendance at San Jacinto (California) Unified School District (approximately 2,300 grade K-12 students) that includes goal setting, successive communications with students and parents, establishment of School Attendance Review Board, and student recognition/rewards. Reports average attendance…

Shows how county superintendent of schools office was created to provide public services and evolved into highly bureaucratized organization. Examines complexity of society; legislated mandates/authorizations for services relationship to state department of education; quality of leadership; interaction with county board of education;…

In a survey of 169 rural school psychologists, the major barrier to effective educational assessment was perceived to be inadequate special education program options. Other perceived barriers were inadequate adaptive behavior measures, inadequate time for evaluations, and bias shown toward a child based on knowledge of other family members. (JHZ)

Special education teachers in rural and urban areas in California were asked to rate their present skill level and desired skill level for 13 bilingual special education teaching competencies. Both groups desired higher skills in all competencies, and both selected parent training skills as competencies they most desired to gain. (JHZ)

Chronicles experiences of depression era "Okies," juxtaposes them against experiences of Mexican Americans, and illuminates the diminution of agricultural labor in an industrializing society. Schooling for those groups was legitimized by their low occupational status. When economic circumstances improved, whites escaped from migrant…

Addresses the need to recruit culturally diverse, special education teachers into rural schools, especially in California where there has been an increase in minority groups moving to rural areas. Reasons for teacher shortages include the graying of the profession, high attrition rates among new special educators, and declining enrollment in…

By focusing on advantages inherent in what are typically considered disadvantages for rural schools, 14 rural, southern California school districts cooperated in implementing a successful inquiry-based elementary science program. Isolation and low population density resulted in a stable teaching force familiar with the community, and the area's…

A district-university partnership program provides an alternative route to teacher certification for noncredentialed special education teachers working in a rural California desert region. The program features locally available courses, on-campus summer courses, an alternative internship credential, collaborative structure, a coach-of-coaches…