Despite national guidelines advocating a comprehensive, age-appropriate, and sequential approach to sexual health education in schools, many young people in the USA do not receive sexual health information until high school. To date, there has been little research on the need for a supplemental round of sexual health education -- a 'booster' --…

The study explored the experiences of rural school counselors broaching conversations on race with students. We used a critical research framework with a phenomenological approach to understand the experiences of nine rural school counselors. Our findings relate to the factors that impacted school counselors' broaching behaviors with students. We…

The teacher attrition rate has drawn serious attention, but the extreme turnover in rural minority communities has become a crisis. To address it, one university's Educator Preparation Provider (EPP) partnered with local districts to offer paid yearlong residencies. In the residency model, residents receive income, intensive support, and…

Exposure to school violence has adverse effects on student academic performance and behavior. A safe school environment is essential for student and staff safety and achievement. Safety approaches include authoritative measures, which use security cameras, metal detectors, and controlled building access; and educational measures that include…

This case study focused on the perceptions of faculty and staff of mental health services at the elementary level in a rural district. Mental health services provided in elementary school settings can ultimately change the outcome of individuals' lives. Many districts in North Carolina lack the funds to hire mental health counselors, and must rely…

The purpose of this concurrent mixed methods action research study was to investigate the impact of new technology-enhanced Dual Enrollment (DE) math courses on students' perception of college courses, the influence the technology-enhanced DE had on students' intention of going to college, and the students' perception of the technology-enhanced DE…

Prior to this study, it was not known it was not known if and to what extent the adoption of the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) predicts fifth-grade academic achievement in math and reading when controlling for baseline achievement in the previous grade for Native American students in rural elementary schools in Northeastern…

Leadership in rural schools is well studied and empirical research in teaching retention, job satisfaction, and burnout is also abundant. In the rural school setting, a particular set of challenges exists for administrators to oversee the operations of a school with limited administrative personnel, isolation, and a small population from which to…

This single qualitative case study explored teacher and parent perceptions of the kindergarten transition program at a small, rural school district in a Midwestern state. Thirteen subjects met the criteria of either being a kindergarten transition teacher or a parent of an incoming kindergarten student and participated in this study. Data was…

In the United States, teacher turnover has increased in elementary schools, and rural districts have higher than average teacher turnover. The problem addressed by this study was that school communities and their leaders need more understanding of how rural elementary administrators overcome challenges retaining teachers in rural southeastern…

This qualitative study was prompted by the need to establish the challenges and prospects of quality Multi-grade Teaching in satellite primary schools. Through in-depth interviews with the Teachers in Charge of the schools and Focus Group Interviews with teachers, data were generated and analysed thematically. The Three-level Typology created by…

As e-commerce increases, the demand for packaging materials and the potential for generating waste and negative environmental impacts also rise. Packing peanuts are a type of plastic packaging material that are used to protect goods during the shipping process. Petroleum-based plastics are common packaging materials due to their low cost, light…

This study investigated the transfer pathway between a rural university and a community college to understand what procedural barriers exist for student degree attainment within existing structures. Process mapping was used as the intervention to examine the influence of enrollment and student services processes and investigate the perceptions of…

Parent engagement remains a significant accountability measure surrounding modern-day school reform. While multitudes of research studies focus on large urban school districts, few studies apply to smaller rural districts. Rural districts, smaller in size, present a unique opportunity for community engagement. Rural communities offer the potential…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of online learning in a rural school district post-COVID-19. The study investigated students', parents', and teachers' experiences to gain insights into online learning as pandemic-related restrictions eased. Students' work-related attitudes and academic progress were also examined to…