Across the United States, the effort to ensure that students are able to meet national and state standards is being seriously undermined by three factors in particular: failure to attract, cultivate, and retain our newest teachers (South Carolina Induction and Mentoring Program Guidelines, 2006). This study is an assessment of the conditions in a…

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…

The purpose of this mixed methods research study was to determine the efficacy of digital learning competencies for school administrators in a rural eastern North Carolina district. The study had four research questions that were answered through a survey and a focus group. The survey had 44 quantitative items that participants chose from a…

College adjustment is particularly challenging for students from rural Appalachia, causing rural students to be more likely than their suburban and urban peers to withdraw from college. However, little is known about rural Appalachian college students' adjustment. We explored 18 rural Appalachian students' college adjustment experiences and…

Many evaluation systems feel like a series of hoops to jump through. Some require goal setting, some require elaborate data collection, and some are a little of both. Regardless of role, it often becomes a box-checking exercise and not a reflective, meaningful process that engenders growth for those engaged in it. In the small rural district of…

Teacher retention continues to be a deeply concerning issue in the United States. The purpose of this case study was to examine the impact of professional development on the retention of novice teachers in two rural school districts in Oklahoma. This case study was viewed through the lens of Bandura's (1977) Self-Efficacy Theory. Purposeful…

Educational leaders have long recognized the certified classroom teacher as the most important factor in student performance and success. In his research article "Teachers Matter: Understanding Teachers' Impact on Student Achievement" for the Rand Corporation, Opper (2019) stated, "When it comes to student performance on reading and…

This invited article comprises three parts that document the history of distance and flexible learning in New Zealand and the professional association DEANZ/FLANZ (Distance Education Association of New Zealand, later known as the Flexible Learning Association of New Zealand), which serves this community. The first part was originally published in…

Background/purpose: Positioned within the Australian context, this study explores the experiences of mentor teachers using professional standard-informed Conversation Cards to support the professional growth of pre-service teachers. With a particular focus on practical solutions, the research investigates the opportunities and challenges mentor…

In language arts classrooms, dialogic teaching encourages diverse text interpretations, fostering discussions that enhance students' literacy skills like reasoning. However, adopting a dialogic stance poses challenges for both teachers and students. The study investigated the impact of a tailor-made dialogic intervention on a Chinese rural teacher…

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…

This study explores the influences of parental socio-economic status on their engagement practices in rural secondary schools in Bangladesh. This study took place in a specific context where the majority of parents lacked literacy and faced financial constraints. This reality hindered their ability to provide adequate support for their children's…

Prior research has suggested that well-performing school leadership clusters around a set of general core practices, which appear to be effective across a range of national, social and cultural contexts, yet contingent of school leaders being responsive to context and responding appropriately to their different contextual demands when they employ…

In the form of distance, video broadcast interactive courses, rural distance video classes enable rural schools with struggling art education teachers to share high-quality art education resources retrieved from urban-area schools. This study aims to investigate and explore teaching strategies that effectively enhance pupils' concentration in…

To address teenage learners' risk of HIV, STIs and pregnancy, good quality school-based sexuality education is of great importance. In this paper we address Zimbabwean young people's construction of sex and sexuality education. We draw from semi-structured individual interviews conducted with forty-seven teenage boys and girls aged between 15 and…