Rural schools are unique in the challenges they face; therefore, it follows that the policies to address the challenges should also be unique and not adhere to the "one size fits all" mentality. This research uses a qualitative approach and takes the bold step to seek the input of teachers who work in rural schools for suggestions on how…

To date, 29 public pre-K programs in 23 states and one U.S. territory have established salary or compensation parity policies to address low and disparate levels of workforce compensation in the early care and education (ECE) field (Friedman-Krauss & Kasmin, 2018). These policies aim to raise the pay or compensation of ECE teachers to the…

Although current and former English Learner (EL) or "ever-EL" students comprise one of the fastest-growing K-12 populations, we still know relatively little about the factors that influence their college-going. Using Perna's seminal college-going model as a launching point, we propose a policy-driven empirical approach to explore how…

Educator micro-credentials present a unique opportunity to link professional learning to practice. Through each competency-based credential, educators demonstrate application of their learning. School districts are seeing the value of embedding micro-credentials in existing professional learning pathways to promote educator agency, recognize…

This study applies a Foucauldian critical analytic to investigate how different discourses that are present in one Alabama public school are shaping various aspects of the teacher-self. In an environment of increasing technology-mediation of teachers' work that coincides with public policy reforms that aim to systematically manage the activities…

The Alabama Reading Initiative is the brain child of state policy makers and academic leaders designed to increase student achievement on standardized reading assessments, and to change instructional practices in schools so that achievement is consistent and sustained. This quantitative population study was conducted in two rural school systems to…

Implementation of science curriculum materials has been a fundamental challenge in science education for decades. Policy researchers have argued that alignment of standards, curriculum, and assessment are the key to supporting implementation. This paper focuses on teachers' perceptions of curricular alignment and on curriculum implementation using…

This study sought to ascertain the scope and nature of postsecondary offerings within the 19 countries of central Alabama, i.e., District Five, in the "Black Belt" region. In addition to profiling the offerings of community, technical, and junior colleges in the area, attitudes relative to the effectiveness and relevance of current…

Unauthorized copying and use of computer software, currently protected by the Copyright Act of 1976 (U.S.C. 117), is believed to occur in public schools and on university and college campuses by administrators, teachers, and students. The study described in this paper was undertaken to ascertain the nature, scope, and extent of unauthorized…