This study explores the challenges and barriers involved in implementing successful alternative education programs within rural Missouri school districts. Using a qualitative narrative approach based around the theoretical framework of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, this study focused on the differences between the recognized measures for success in…

Research suggests that the use of Restorative Practice (RP) in schools can foster more positive and inclusive school communities, yet there remains limited research regarding how to embed such practices. As part of a wider study, we present data from school leaders who describe their perspectives on RP and their struggles with implementing it in…

Rural students comprise nearly half of all students enrolled in public schools in the nation. With increasing amounts of students living in poverty, rural school districts are combating many issues but with fewer resources than urban and suburban school districts. In addition, new Federal and state regulations continue to be enacted, sometimes to…

Finding and retaining qualified teachers has been challenge for public schools in the United State over the past few decades. Teacher retention is one of the major factors impacting the number of qualified teachers available to our school system. This qualitative study was to help provide a better understanding of the teachers and administrators'…

This doctoral dissertation was a study that assessed the impacts of a student-driven student voice and student leadership program in a secondary public school in a rural district in Maine. Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, this study gathered evidence of the impacts of the Student Summit Leadership Program (SSLP) on…

It was not known to what extent, if any, there was a relationship between teacher turnover and leadership styles among K-12 public school teachers in rural school districts. The purpose of this quantitative associative correlational study was to determine to what extent, if any, there is a relationship between teacher turnover and leadership…

Public schools in America are experiencing a massive decline in student enrollment, resulting in school consolidations and closures across the nation. (Dee, 2023). This decline has many implications, particularly in rural areas, such as Northeast Tennessee. These implications and the public pressure to maintain high graduation rates and academic…

This dissertation examined the leadership strategies used by rural, public-school superintendents in the Central Appalachian region of Eastern Kentucky during and following the flood of 2022 that was considered a natural disaster. The context of this study was framed by a 1 in 1000-year flooding event that devastated school districts and…

Public schools follow school improvement guidelines to improve outcomes for students. This study utilized a quantitative method with a correlational design to discern any relationship between the NCStar School Improvement Program Indicators and student proficiency scores. The population for the study was 636 public high schools implementing the…

Small rural schools utilize multi-graded classes to maintain their viability. When the majority of classes are combined, the result is a multi-graded school. In Alberta alone, there are approximately 90 schools that would be defined as a multi-graded school, and every rural school board has at least one on its roster. In Alberta, students and…

The purpose of this study was to understand the deciding factors of teachers who have accepted a teaching position, or continue to remain in a teaching position, in rural K-12 public schools in central Illinois. Staffing a school of fully qualified teachers remains one of the most important and difficult challenges to school districts throughout…

School leaders, educators, and community members are keenly aware that New Mexico has consistently ranked last in the nation in education, childhood poverty rate, and access to appropriate individualized educational support for children (Bobroff, 2019; Martinez, 2021; Rodriguez, 2019; Sanchez & Martinez, 2019). Now is the time to address the…

School leaders Lydia Cochrane and Ayesha Hoda have struggled to meet the increasingly complex needs of the students in their schools. As students' needs increase, schools are asked to do more and more, while continuing to have strong academic results. Cochrane and Hoda believe the current system is untenable and needs to change. With Linda Nathan,…

This promising practice describes a statewide effort to address the surging youth mental health crisis through the provision of Youth Mental Health First Aid training in West Virginia public schools. Youth Mental Health First Aid is an evidence-based training for adults who work with youth. This interactive training increases participants'…

This research study examined the difference between a formal pre-kindergarten (pre-K) experience and a non-formal pre-kindergarten experience and the impact it had on the academic achievement of kindergarten students. The study also examined the impact these experiences had on kindergarten students as it relates to the Phonological Awareness…