Small rural schools have often been characterised as being at the heart of their communities. However, there is no clarity on what that means nor on the perceived meaning of 'community' within this context. The findings of the Small School Rural Community Study focused on the relationship between small rural schools and the communities they serve…

Judgements of the work of school principals may be formal through an appraisal process or informal from students, teachers, parents, and members of the community in which the school operates. This article focuses on New Zealand rural primary school principals' experiences of informal expectations--and judgements about whether they meet these…

The study presented in this article gathered and examined the views of key stakeholders in rural South African secondary schools on strategies for curbing learner dropout. The investigation, which employed a qualitative case study research model, sampled 20 secondary school learners aged 17-20 (11 female, 9 male), 20 youth aged 17-22 (11 female, 9…

This paper explores how "revolutionary love" may be a viable response in a teacher's pedagogical practices. To do so, we present an in-depth case study of one teacher in a reindeer herding village in Finnish rural north. The paper asks what does revolutionary love mean in teaching practice and what distinguishes loving from non-loving…

Background: Over the last 20 years, curriculum development in Health and Physical Education (HPE) (or Physical Education, Physical Education and Health, Sport Education as it is variously called) has repeatedly attempted to address issues of equity and social inclusion. Why then does systemic educational disadvantage persist, and why do the…

Three decades since the onset of HIV/AIDS, 33.2 million people worldwide are infected and prevalence in Kenya is on the rise. This paper contributes to discussions about HIV/AIDS education and draws on the health promotion approach and the emancipatory theory of Paulo Freire. Freire argued that through dialogue people unveil their world. The…

This article argues that a commonly neglected dimension in service-learning pedagogy is the consideration of community perspectives in developing these service-learning projects. Areas considered in this study were: (1) Community members' needs and problems, (2) Community members' perceived roles and participation, and (3) Community members'…

This doctoral research work explores the quality of educational experiences and access to opportunities for girls with disabilities in selected rural primary schools in Malawi. The context for this study lies within four of the six goals contained within the World Declaration on Education for All doctrine, a document which lays out a framework for…

Ratings of a British rural comprehensive school were obtained from 98 of 170 parents of new entrants, 93 of 180 other parents, and 198 of 300 community members. Cumulatively, the most highly rated items were work emphasis, subject help, teaching method, exam results, discipline, staff demeanor, pupil appearance, and pupil demeanor. (SK)

This article discusses the results of a one-year study in a physically isolated school community in Queensland, Australia. The decision-making processes in the selection of school subjects became the focus for interviews conducted with the school community (students, parents, and teachers) and the vehicle for identifying the held conceptions of…

A central premise supporting educational decentralization is that community members best understand local conditions and are best placed to make local educational decisions. A survey of 643 educators, parents, and community leaders in 18 rural Ghana communities found that all groups lacked well-formulated attitudes about school practices and…

Wesley College, a private urban secondary school, sought a rural location where ninth-grade students could spend a term in a community-based, experientially-derived curriculum to enhance their sense of self and community. The small town of Clunes, in Victoria (Australia), accepted Wesley's initiative and since 2000, Wesley has operated a campus…

Small rural schools have always had an important place in the educational life of New Zealand, but they have faced a number of challenges in the past decade. These challenges include difficulty in attracting and retaining high quality teachers, changing expectations of parents, decreasing rural population, and the impact of national educational…

A study investigated Indigenous community perceptions of White school administrators in northern Canada via 44 individual and focus group interviews with local stakeholders at four schools. Community perceptions of effective school leadership were inconsistent, and communities and administrators were often at odds with regard to the role and…

Analysis of state-mandated strategic planning in a small, rural elementary school in northern New South Wales (Australia), reveals that although student outcomes were enhanced as a result of programs developed by staff, there were difficulties implementing corporate modes of management in a rural working-class community with deep racial, class,…