This interview study with special education teachers in rural and urban school divisions within Virginia, USA, reports instructional strategies that support outcomes for students with social emotional mental health (SEMH) needs. Evidence-based strategies from the interviews are delineated for teachers who work with this highly vulnerable…

The authors examined middle level teachers' perceptions and experiences of leadership support during the sudden transition to emergency remote teaching (ERT) during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this qualitative case study, the research questions were: How did middle school teachers perceive their leaders' support for teaching online? What were…

The purpose of this research study is to understand teacher experiences throughout their second year of engagement in the Virginia Tech Partnering with Educators and Engineers in Rural Schools partnership. This partnership is an assets-based community partnership in a rural environment between middle school teachers, regional industry, and…

To differentiate effectively, we need to know children. Through home visiting, teachers spend time learning more about students' lives, interests, and cultures. Research has begun to provide insight regarding the benefits of home visits in the elementary years, particularly in terms of family engagement in schools. We know less about the nature of…

This non experimental quantitative study investigated the perceptions of general education and special education teachers towards co-teaching in three Title I school districts located in rural and suburban central Virginia. The researcher's intent was to ascertain resolutions to the following issues: 1) Does General education and special education…

In this multiple case study, we apply sense-making theory to examine and compare how middle school special and general educators perceive and respond to teacher evaluation reform, including formal classroom observations, informal walk-throughs, and student growth measures. Our findings reveal that special educators experience conflict between the…

This is the final external evaluation report prepared by SRI International for the Rural Math Excel Partnership (RMEP) project, an investing in innovation (i3) development project funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Operated by Virginia Advanced Study Strategies, Inc. (VASS), the RMEP project included six rural school districts (LEAs) in…

To generate information that would help rural schools take advantage of the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) program, 47 principals of rural schools in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia were interviewed via telephone. The schools fell into two categories: schools that applied but were not funded through the CSRD…

This study analyzed the kinds of involvement with schools parents want and what keeps parents from being involved. An extended introduction discusses the nature of parent involvement programs, barriers to their implementation, and the role of parents and teachers in the programs. A survey concerning parent involvement was given to parents of 305…

This study examined the nature of and types of school involvement of parents of children with disabilities from rural school districts in Virginia. Parents (N=52) of elementary and middle school children from three different rural school districts completed a questionnaire containing a Likert type scale and open-ended questions. The data were…

This report documents a 2-year research and development project aimed at determining the effects of interdisciplinary teamed instruction (ITI) on teaching and learning. The study also sought to validate the effectiveness of a professional development model that would facilitate development, implementation, and evaluation of ITI. Through summer…