This dissertation study explores the implementation of Project-Based Learning (PBL) in first-grade classrooms and its impact on student engagement. The study emphasizes the importance of collaborative grade-level teams and teacher support in successfully implementing PBL. The study adopts a mixed-methods approach and takes place in a small rural…

Mountain, insular and internal areas represent 70 percent of the Italian land with a population that experiences many difficulties in daily living due to territorial constraints. Nevertheless, it is extremely important to guarantee equal opportunities and services to those who live on the mountains and small islands of the country. Distance…

This article presents and analyses a single pedagogic case of a small, rural primary state school in Queensland, Australia. The researchers spent one day per week for nineteen weeks serving the role of visiting teachers to the school. The goal of the research was to inquire into the pedagogical sustainability of this rural school and its…

Educational achievement in rural America is one of the country's great overlooked challenges. Rural students achieve below the U.S. average on national tests, and high school dropout rates are higher and college attendance lower than they are in cities and suburbs. When the U.S. Department of Education asks low-achieving schools to be turned…

A Montana teacher in a very small high school describes how SIMMS Integrated Mathematics has helped students to develop better problem-solving skills and better oral and written communication skills, has contributed to increased student enrollment in a fourth year of high school mathematics, and has taught students to use technology tools in…

A student-initiated nature center project began six years ago when the original participants were in fifth grade. The students did the research, planning, construction, grant writing, and accounting and tied it all to Colorado state standards. Student engagement and self-confidence grew from a sense of responsibility and from knowing that the…

It is time to stop viewing rural schools and communities as deficient and build on their tremendous assets--small size, an understanding of the connection between humans and nature, greater access to civic life, strong school-community ties, a sense of place and community, and cultural diversity. Examples describe innovative programs initiated by…

The Annenberg Rural Challenge represents a large national effort to transform rural schools and communities. Among its dominant themes are that students should come to know their local communities well, that communities should see schools and students as critical assets, and that communities and schools need to become more integrated. As part of a…

PACERS Small Schools Cooperative, a 29-school cooperative in rural Alabama, operates an innovative program in which student projects both serve the community and preserve community traditions. Describes how information technology enables the advantages of small schools to flower. Discusses addressing policies and mindsets that hinder development…

In a small rural high school in Balmorhea, Texas, business students helped to establish a school-based clinic. Students wrote grant applications, learned medical office skills, structured the business curriculum around their project, and involved other students. Cooperation with Texas Tech Medical School led to a full-service community clinic…

A rural British Columbia K-12 school facing closure due to declining population implemented intentional learning, student-directed learning, and learning groups as core units for developing communities of learners. A computer-managed learning system and online scheduling enables delivery of a full range of courses despite decreases in teaching…

As part of an international comparative study of active learning in seven countries, a case study examined active learning practices of students and teachers in a small rural school in Finland. Small schools have traditionally existed in the sparsely populated Finnish countryside, and 60 percent of Finnish elementary schools have 1-3 teachers.…

The PACERS Small Schools Cooperative is an association of 29 small public schools in 25 communities in rural Alabama whose goal is to keep schools open by making visible their viability. To that end, the schools of the cooperative develop appropriate curricular and extracurricular opportunities for schools and students that involve the people in…

This volume compiles descriptions of the work being done by rural students in 13 schools/sites with grants from the Annenberg Rural Challenge. The work reflects a belief in education that privileges the local nature of learning and connects schools and communities for their mutual benefit. Entries include focused lessons, long-term projects, and…

Jack Shelton, teacher, minister, and community builder, describes the benefits of education that is active, relevant, and involved in the community. As coordinator of a cooperative of 29 small rural Alabama schools that enables teachers to implement experiential educational approaches rooted in community study and service, he discusses the…