This qualitative case study examines the college choice decisions of rural students enrolled in engineering majors to understand what conditions and experiences led rural students to pursue engineering at their institution. We found four themes that help illuminate rural engineering students' college choice journeys (1) The Inextricable Nature of…

This qualitative multiple case study is a follow-up to a study completed in 2007 that examined characteristics of rural school districts experiencing a high rate of superintendent turnover. The original study design incorporated extensive interviews with participants across four rural school districts; triangulating interview results with…

Formal and informal partnerships between rural schools and their communities can provide a wide range of supports for all students, but particularly those from low-income families. In this analysis of six small rural school districts in Virginia we show how the broad participation of community groups and individuals supports academic achievement…

Many rural school districts face declining enrollments. A few districts have taken the unusual path of recruiting international students in order to boost their enrollments. This study examines a community using this strategy and the resulting financial, academic, and social situations for the school, community, and students, both local and…

The perspectives of three rural middle school principals as they implement Georgia's A Plus Education Reform Act of 2000 were investigated in this study. A case study approach was used, employing both within case and cross case analyses. Three interviews were conducted with each of the three participants, resulting in a total of nine interviews.…

Uses a case study approach to determine how a rural supervisory union school district and its communities attempted to improve the union's economic feasibility and address important school needs. Efforts appear to have resulted in greater teacher involvement, commitment, and ownership of subsequent changes and promotion of teachers to…

Following two-failed school bond issues in 1995 and 1998, one mid-sized rural school district organized an effort that led to two successful school bond elections in 2001 and 2003. The school district's strategic plan mirrored many of the recommendations for successful bond referendums published in School Bond Success: A Strategy for Building…

Case studies of four long-term rural Oklahoma superintendents, including interviews with community leaders and school district personnel, identified characteristics and attributes that have contributed to the success of these superintendents: effective leadership and communication skills, an acute sense of community awareness, active involvement…

Describes discipline program initiated by the principal of a "tough" midwestern rural junior-senior high school. Includes ethnographic methodology; community characteristics; principal's background, self-concept, and leadership qualities; aspects of the program; and faculty, parent, and student perceptions of the principal and his…