Many rural communities have seen population shifts with burgeoning communities of linguistic, racial, and economic diversity expanding into traditionally homogenous rural communities (e.g. Brenner, 2016; Sharp & Lee, 2017). These shifts can occur rapidly, as a result of regional economic, social, or political forces and are particularly…

Statement of Purpose and Method of Study: The purpose of this study is to describe the perspectives, processes, and experiences identified during the implementation of the SIG Transformation Model in a rural school district in Mississippi. The Transformation Model is one of the four approved prescriptive models identified by the federal government…

This qualitative descriptive study investigated general education teachers' descriptions of inclusion strategies in rural Oklahoma public schools. The research was grounded in Social Cognitive Theory. Using convenience sampling, nineteen K-12 general education teachers from rural school districts were selected as participants. Research questions…

The focus of practice for the study was to build and sustain a cohesive and consistent instructional leadership team by supporting the growth and development of assistant principals as instructional leaders. This study took place in a mid-sized, high school setting in rural Eastern North Carolina. The study aimed to develop assistant principals'…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was two-fold: to determine if professional learning that blends cultural competencies and second language acquisitions helped teachers in helping ELL students achieve academic success and the development of the Second Language Acquisition and Cultural Competency Practices Questionnaire. Subjects were…

Teacher leadership remains at the forefront of conversations in teacher education, with discussions on recruitment, retention, and effectiveness. Teachers are at the core of schooling, and the roles they assume and types of leadership they engage in are multi-dimensional. Teacher leadership comes in many shapes and definitions. In this sense, both…

Implementing inclusive education requires on-going commitment to teachers' professional learning. One way of implementing professional learning is to develop learning communities based on Lave and Wenger's ideas of situated learning and learning as social practice. Learning communities, drawing on models of Professional Learning Communities and…

This self-reflection article explores the collaboration with a nongovernmental organization serving underserved students in Malawi and a private Midwestern university educator preparation program which provided research-based pedagogical culturally responsive practices to teachers. Through strong partnerships, education programs can combine their…

In 2012, the United States Department of Education announced the Race to the Top-District grants. One joint award was made to two large educational cooperatives in the same state that together represented 111 mostly rural schools in 22 districts. One of the grant's identified four essential projects was the implementation of personalized learning.…

In order for educational leaders to facilitate effectively the integration of technology, an understanding of the process rural teachers experience with technology integration is critical. The goal of the qualitative study was to discover and understand rural teachers' process for accepting technology innovation in order to improve the…

Since the 1980s, research about technological integration in education has relied on models that position teachers as inherently anxious and/or resistant. These models posit that the key to successful preparation and development is helping teachers accept that they must abandon their concerns and use these technologies regardless of personal and…

The experiences of regional and rural teachers supporting students on the autism spectrum in their classrooms often differ from those of their metropolitan counterparts. Interventions designed for metropolitan settings may not work the same way in regional and rural classrooms, and teachers outside major centres may encounter challenges in…

This study examines the impact of implementing the professional development program, Keeping Learning on Track (KLT), on teaching and learning in a rural school in a Midwestern state. KLT was a program developed by Dylan William and his colleagues at the Educational Training Service and published by the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA).…

Special educators assume an essential leadership role in school-wide multilayered instructional systems for teaching culturally and linguistically diverse learners with and without disabilities, including learners at risk of being inappropriately referred for special education. Research findings from a model demonstration project are presented…

Decades of research indicate that many early adolescents are at risk for developing significant school adjustment problems in the academic, behavioral, and social domains during the transition to middle school. The Supporting Early Adolescent Learning and Social Success (SEALS) model has been developed as a professional development and…