This exploratory study examined the impact of location (rural vs. non-rural) and individual characteristics such as age, gender, and risk factors on baccalaureate attainment of vertical transfer students. Descriptive findings indicate that overall few students (12%) who began in a two-year institution transferred to a four-year institution.…

Because of the importance of developing highly skilled rural school leaders, statewide assessments of 259 rural Texas public school administrators were analyzed to determine principal confidence levels in leadership skill domains identified by the National Policy Board of Educational Administration (NPBEA). Important findings indicate differences…

Due to the difficulties inherent in staffing rural schools it is increasingly common for beginning teachers to fill school leadership roles early in their careers. The accelerated progression of some teachers impacts on the overall nature of leadership in rural schools and creates unique pathways, generally different from those available to…

This study reveals the challenges confronting small, rural "frontier" schools in Montana and the practices that contribute to their sustainability. A Montana frontier school is defined as a school district with 200 or fewer students and its attendant community in a county with five or fewer people per square mile. The researcher…

The purpose of this article is to review the rural area administrator's role in the areas of teacher recruitment, hiring and staff development. State and Regional Policies reveal that these areas are chief among the concerns of rural school leaders (Johnson, 2005). The rural school administrator's role often requires him/her to become involved in…

A growing body of evidence indicates that for some children, early incidences of challenging behaviors are predictors of later difficulties. These incidences of challenging behaviors may predict mental health issues, social adjustment issues and/or increased challenging behaviors that will impede school success and impact transition to adult life…

The Curriculum combining both traditional classrooms and Internet-based activities for regular post-graduate training for the teachers in informatics is developed, approved by the Ministry of Education and Science and implemented in Latvian Republic. The Curriculum is anticipated for teachers from rural schools, excludes embarrassing overnight…

This research brief examines high school students' coursetaking in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects. As technical and scientific innovation increasingly drives the global economy, educators and experts in technical fields have expressed concern about the academic preparation of U.S. students in STEM fields. Using…

This qualitative study provides student perceptions of interactive whiteboard (IWB) use in a secondary biology classroom. The use of the IWB was alternated with the overhead on an ABAB and BABA design in two classrooms. The study was based on semi-structured interviews of thirty-six individuals, representing a sample of rural, high school…

Critiquing arguments from the "small school" movement in cities such as New York and Chicago, this paper provides a basis for making sense of the apparent divergence in policies governing schooling structures in rural and urban places. Its interpretation examines the way the urban small schools movement works to valorize (and hence draw support…

The purpose of this study was to provide information on the state of Hispanic education in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The data were obtained from Kentucky school Superintendents or their designees in 175 public school districts through a survey (12 questions) mailed in late spring, 2007. Responses were received from 136 school superintendents…

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.…

The situation of schools in the Democratic Republic of Congo in matters concerning new information and communication technologies remains alarming. Given the primary role of these technologies in teaching and learning, as well as the concern of giving Congolese rural schools access to these tools, considering the problems of lack of electricity,…

Background: This study involves 50 participants from a rural county in S.W. Georgia and examines the conditions and settings that existed at the target school as to the increase in student attrition at the alternative school. Purpose: To take a closer look at the student attrition problem in the target school and make contributions to begin to…

This article addresses the reform and renewal of teaching training modes, discussing ways to build up a project of teacher training universities as academic support, and to use rural primary and secondary schools as training bases to improve the holistic quality of educational service by rural teachers of fundamental education.