Despite prevalent student mental and behavioral health (MBH) needs in rural communities, school mental health systems have not been thoroughly examined in rural areas and lack the perspectives of individuals who often help implement and utilize these systems (i.e., educators and caregivers). This study examined rural caregivers and educators'…

Elementary school teachers are increasingly being asked to teach computer science (CS)--a subject area with which they often have little familiarity. To address this gap, teacher professional development (PD) is a common approach for helping teachers become familiar with CS content. This paper describes a collaborative PD designed to accompany a…

Property tax limits have been found to reduce property tax revenue, with compensatory increases in replacement taxes often not sufficiently making up for funding loss and systematically promoting inequity. Consequently, such practices suggest severe implications for school district fiscal capacity. Our study explored this issue in South Carolina…

Few researchers have examined the identification practices and services provided to gifted and talented students in rural settings. In this case study, we explored these processes from different perspectives, that of the gifted student, the parent(s) of the gifted student, a teacher of the gifted student, and the administrator(s) of the gifted…

Since the 1950s, curriculum theorists noticed the need for frameworks to guide teachers in planning for instruction. This led researchers and educators to examine the influence of systematic guidelines for instructional planning focused on in-person learning. In 2020, school systems across the United States began offering virtual learning options…

This study sought to document the lived experiences of women who teach in rural Iowa secondary schools. It aims to bring light to the ways in which rural women teachers experience power, marginalization, and oppression in their personal and professional lives. Additionally, this project hopes to provide insight for rural school leaders into how…

Principals of low-performing schools in northern New Mexico lack adequate professional development to improve student outcomes. Exploration of experiences in the professional development program, Principals Pursuing Excellence, studied the lived phenomena of 12 rural northeastern turnaround school leaders through the conceptual framework of…

This study focused on the impact of principal leadership strategies on student achievement in three academically challenged rural schools in Northeastern North Carolina. The problem is that some rural schools still struggle to increase student achievement in spite of the availability of leadership strategies that lead to improved academic…

It is well established that a high number of children experience a significant traumatic event by the time that they attend school. Teachers, therefore, work with trauma-impacted students on a regular basis as they execute the duties required of their occupation. Although ongoing and frequent exposure to students experiencing trauma is a known…

Rural school success is crucial for the Nebraska education system. Without rural schools, many students and families would be without access to high quality educational opportunities. Despite the importance of rural education, the number of rural schools in Nebraska continues to decline, and "one thing is clear from academic research on rural…

Novice teacher induction programs impacted teacher fulfillment and confidence (Coffey, 2010; Darling-Hammond, 2003), and high-quality induction improved effectiveness of instruction and improved student learning (Brownell et al., 2010; Potemski et al., 2014; Strong, 2005). Administrators are challenged in their responsibilities to develop…

Background: Teachers describe their colleagues as one of their most valuable resources (Drury & Baer, 2011; Johnston & Tsai, 2018). Teachers often report seeking out colleagues who teach the same grade or subject to get advice or to plan instruction together (Frank, 2009; Spillane et al., 2015). Given that research shows that professional…

The purpose of this study was to examine the teacher-to-teacher mentoring experience of new teachers in a designated mentoring program through questionnaires, interviews, and an examination of archived teacher evaluations and administrator's notes. The results show that teacher-to-teacher mentoring at the research site does assist new teachers in…

The purpose of the current study was to explore how superintendents in small, rural districts in Texas utilized the various resources of professional networks to navigate leadership during the crisis caused by COVID-19. When faced with a crisis, superintendents lead the district's response and provide guidance and reassurance for the school…

Since the late 1990s, increased public and academic attention has been focused on topics related to bullying and peer aggression in schools, yet these behaviors have proven difficult for schools to address. Using data from an ethnographic study of two rural elementary schools in the Midwestern United States, I make both methodological and…