This phenomenological study explored teacher perceptions of successful recruitment and retention of highly qualified educators in a rural North Texas school district. Interviews were conducted to identify successful recruitment and retention strategies from twelve teachers. Descriptive phenomenology was used to analyze transcribed participant…

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has implemented a student accountability system that measures students' performance on the State of Texas Assessment for Academic Readiness (STAAR) in several content areas. Therefore, teachers and administrators all over the state are always seeking ways to ensure that students are academically well prepared.…

Objectives: This study examined the prevalence, patterns, and knowledge of Energy Drink (ED) consumption among undergraduate students. Participants: Participants included students (n = 373) attending a medium-sized rural university in Texas. Methods: Students were surveyed anonymously using convenience sampling and a cross-sectional design with 15…

Although school districts have prepared and planned for school crises for many years in response to the Columbine High School and Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting tragedies, the COVID-19 pandemic brought new challenges for school districts when dealing with educating students amid a pandemic. This qualitative phenomenological study examined…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine teacher perceptions of the evaluation process including informal walkthroughs and administrator feedback in South Texas rural schools to determine whether teachers felt that there was a connection to teacher effectiveness and student achievement. The findings of this study may assist…

Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. students attend rural schools. However, during policy discussions, rural schools' unique challenges are often eclipsed by those of their urban and suburban counterparts. This report is a case study of an innovative, replicable public education experiment at three rural Texas high schools called the Rural Schools Innovation Zone2…

This paper aims to better delineate the patterns of mobility and turnover of rural principals in Texas. Specifically, the authors examine the patterns of movement into, within, and out of rural principal positions, as a means to gain a better understanding of the forces of 'draw' within rural areas and 'drain' out. The study consisted of a sample…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine whether perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of technology influence the integration of technology in rural south Texas teachers' classrooms. To investigate possible relationships, the researcher collected data through an online survey tool. The sample size for the study was 115…

In this complementary study, the researchers examine two novice rural teachers' dispositions before and during their participation in the PD-STEP summer professional development sessions which began July 2018 with subsequent sessions on July 2019 and July 2020. Together, Professional Development for Secondary School Teachers and Educational…

Public school campuses in rural South Texas are struggling to recruit and retain high-quality teachers. Districts now have flexibility in hiring certified teachers, but the need for teachers continues to grow annually. The challenge lies in attracting teachers to smaller school districts, when there are larger districts throughout the State of…

Public school campuses in rural South Texas are struggling to recruit and retain high-quality teachers. Districts now have flexibility in hiring certified teachers, but the need for teachers continues to grow annually. The challenge lies in attracting teachers to smaller school districts, when there are larger districts throughout the State of…

With close to a million Texas students attending rural schools, research on what influences student achievement is needed to guide policy, practice, and further research. Building on research relating student demographic variables and per student spending in rural schools to student achievement, through this dissertation research I used…

Although the Texas economy is racing ahead at full speed, state K-12 education has stalled. One major obstacle has been the claim by opponents of school choice in Texas that giving families more education options via education choice policies would harm or even destroy rural district schools. These concerns, even if understandable, are not based…

This study delved into the perceptions of educators regarding the impact of student trauma on teachers and how they coped within classroom settings. Through semi-structured interviews with 10 selected candidates in rural West Texas School Districts, the research aimed to shed light on the need for enhanced teacher training programs. The findings…

Since at least 2015, public education has experienced declining numbers in the quality of students' education as well as educator and student retention (Finn, 2019; Joubert, 2020). The problem is that due to limited financial resources, school districts need nonmonetary options to incentivize teachers and campus administrators to improve job…