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Descriptors:
Community Colleges; Sustainability; Two Year Colleges; Higher Education; Rural Schools; Case Studies; Change Agents; Access to Education; Organizational Change; Economic Development

Abstract:
This assessment considers the sustainability of initiatives begun as a result of participation in the Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI). Case studies were conducted at eight community colleges, and quantitative data was gathered from the U.S. Census, the Department of Labor, and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Elements that helped the colleges sustain initiatives beyond the funding cycle are discussed. (Contains 3 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Acceleration (Education); Rating Scales; Urban Schools; Academically Gifted; Rural Schools; Suburban Schools; Rural Urban Differences; Teacher Attitudes; Social Influences; Emotional Experience; Student Needs; Teachers; Longitudinal Studies; Extracurricular Activities; Teacher Surveys; School Policy; Parent Attitudes; Measures (Individuals); Focus Groups

Abstract:
Despite extensive research supporting its use, including the 2004 publication of "A Nation Deceived," acceleration is an underutilized strategy for meeting the academic needs of gifted and talented students. Parents' and educators' attitudes and beliefs about acceleration influence the extent to which it is implemented in schools. This study investigated gifted and talented educators' attitudes toward acceleration using a 7-point rating scale measuring concerns about acceleration, beliefs about acceleration, and support for specific acceleration strategies. Data indicated there were no differences in attitudes among teachers from rural, suburban, or urban school districts. Overall, the least popular acceleration strategies were also the easiest to implement, but caused the greatest change in students' environments (i.e., grade-skipping and early entrance to kindergarten). As expected, the educators were most troubled by social issues and least concerned about academic issues related to acceleration. (Contains 6 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Academically Gifted; Student Attitudes; Play; Rural Schools; Focus Groups; Online Surveys; Talent; Urban Schools; Suburban Schools; Socialization; Barriers; Attention Control; Learning Motivation; Retention (Psychology); Teamwork; Problem Solving; Cognitive Development; Social Development; Physical Development

Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to explore the concept of play through the eyes of talented and gifted (TAG) fifth- and sixth-grade students. Three focus groups consisting of fifth- and sixth-grade TAG students were conducted in one urban, one suburban, and one rural school district in the Midwest. Students were asked to describe the value of play in the cognitive, physical, and social domains. Additional open-ended questions were asked about the importance of play and its relevance to their lives. From these results, an online survey was created. Data from an additional 162 fifth- and sixth-grade TAG respondents substantiated that play is a significant activity for learning and socializing in the general classroom, gifted programs, and outside their classrooms. Despite its importance, students experienced structural barriers for time to play. Putting the Research to Use: Results of this study hold implications for teachers to acknowledge the value of play as a tool for learning. Children see play as a renewal activity. They see play as motivating and as a way to increase attention, retention, and focus in learning. Children emphasized that play develops teamwork and problem-solving skills. Play enhances meaningful activities in the talented and gifted program as well as the general classroom. Results of this study suggest that parents should acknowledge their children's need for play in all three domains (cognitive, physical, and social) and allow time for self-directed play after school with limits on scheduled activities. (Contains 4 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Leadership; Community Colleges; Higher Education; Rural Schools; Rural Areas; Leaders; College Presidents

Abstract:
Pending retirements underscore the need to develop community college campus leaders. Rural community colleges will be particularly hard-hit by changes in leadership as they represent the majority of 2-year colleges and face unique challenges given their location. To help address the anticipated leadership transition, the American Association of Community Colleges developed a set of competencies to frame critical skill areas and guide leadership development efforts. The research reported here showed both resource development and organizational strategy as areas of weakness for rural leaders and, paradoxically, the areas of most need. Leaders acquired competencies predominantly on the job, which has implications in planning development of future leaders. (Contains 2 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
School Choice; Rural Areas; Rural Education; Foreign Countries; Rural Schools; Educational Policy; Public Policy; Case Studies; Financial Support; Federal Aid; Marketing; Parent Attitudes

Abstract:
Market principles now dominate the education and social policies of many Anglophone countries, including Australia, but articulate differentially within specific contexts. Existing historical legacies, local economic and social conditions, and geographical settings interact with federal and state funding and transport policies to shape the nature of regional education markets and the choices families make in a rural school market in Australia. Through two school case studies, this article explores the effects of policy shifts on parental choice and student movement within a regional Victorian community. Informed by policy sociology, the article views the policy as a dynamic, often "ad hoc" process with contradictory effects. It indicates how an ensemble of federal and state funding and conveyancing policies enable some schools to develop marketing practices that reconstruct the local education market to their advantage through the introduction of transport and flexi-boarding policies. It demonstrates that education markets are not confined to urban settings and that while choice is not a new phenomenon in this rural area, federal and state funding and transport policies have reconfigured local markets and intensified the market work undertaken by schools and parents with, in this instance, unequal effects on the provision of schooling in a rural region. (Contains 78 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Educational Quality; Foreign Countries; Instructional Leadership; Urban Schools; Data Analysis; Rural Schools; Educational Resources; Parent Participation; Parent School Relationship; Elementary Schools; Questionnaires; Teacher Attitudes; Hierarchical Linear Modeling; Educational Environment; Rural Urban Differences

Abstract:
Shortcomings of educational quality in rural schools remain a key focus in the literature related to developing countries. This paper studies whether rural primary schools in Malaysia, an upper middle-income developing country, are still experiencing lower levels of educational resources, school climate, school leadership, and parental involvement than their urban counterparts. A survey questionnaire, containing items related to these 4 factors, was distributed to teachers in the 2 school locations. In the study, 1183 teachers from 63 rural schools and 1367 teachers from 60 urban schools were involved. Due to the hierarchical nature of the data, multilevel modelling analysis was used for data analysis. Open-ended questions were analyzed using text analysis. Findings showed that generally no differences between urban and rural schools in educational quality as perceived by teachers were found, which contradicts previous studies. Nevertheless, results did show that rural teachers perceived lower levels of school climate. (Contains 6 tables and 1 figure.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Pregnancy; Females; Foreign Countries; Mexicans; Social Change; Rural Schools; Nationalism; Marital Status; Feminism; Gender Bias; Political Influences; Violence; Teacher Salaries; Sex Fairness; Catholics; Victims; Age; Educational History

Abstract:
The reflections presented in this article include the process of incorporating women teachers into schools during the post-revolutionary period in Mexico. From one standpoint, women teachers lived in a state of ambiguity throughout this period because they were seen as symbols of national reconstruction following a war that left more than one million people dead. From another standpoint, they were victims of political and gender violence in a country that had not yet been pacified and was experiencing deep divisions between the armed Catholic groups that fought against the government. The process of the feminisation of Mexican teaching is approached through an analysis of the socio-professional conditions of rural teachers around the period of 1924 to 1945. There are a range of sources that were used for this research, including oral and documental. The collection of records of rural teachers from the Archivo Historico de la Secretaria de Educacion Publica are important in terms of a regional study that was done in the Valle del Mezquital as well as in a current national study. After reviewing over three thousand teacher files, I have been able to verify that many of these women were empowered and conscious of their significance in the national identity. They took advantage of the situation to obtain gender work benefits, which included equal wages to men, pregnancy leave regardless of marital status or age and uninterrupted contracts. This mobilisation by women teachers throughout the entire country was unprecedented in the professional history of Mexican women workers. These teachers fought many daily battles, both individually and collectively, to maintain their jobs, by writing letters to the head of the Rural School Department, sharing their stories and the injustices they experienced in their daily lives. Nonetheless, it is notable that for the first time, a collection of female voices can be found in the teacher files; these women did not want to keep quiet and they reflect a desire to participate in social change for themselves and their communities. (Contains 2 tables, 2 figures and 19 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Disabilities; Inclusion; Stakeholders; Foreign Countries; Rural Schools; Low Income; Educational Development; Student Needs; Curriculum Design; Ideology; International Organizations

Abstract:
A new "inclusive" curriculum has been introduced in Papua New Guinea, with significant levels of support from a bilateral development agency. The curriculum is inclusive in the sense that it is designed to meet the diverse, complex, and ever-changing needs of students. Research indicates the curriculum has been shaped by various influences, most particularly Western educational ideology. Research in remote rural schools revealed that stakeholders were unable and unwilling to adopt many of the precepts of the new curriculum. Broader analysis indicates that this is likely to be the case elsewhere in PNG. In the light of these findings, it is proposed that international development agencies (IDAs), if they wish to effectively promote inclusive education, should become more "inclusive" organisations--in the sense that they should adopt more responsive and participatory approaches in low income countries. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; School Districts; School Schedules; Barriers; School Organization; Program Implementation; Guidelines; Cost Effectiveness; Rural Schools; Educational Policy; Educational Practices; Program Effectiveness; Educational Resources; Web Sites; Annotated Bibliographies; Educational Research

Abstract:
Can four-day school weeks help districts save money? How do districts overcome the barriers of moving to a four-day week? What is the effect of a four-day week on students, staff and the community? This paper enumerates the benefits for students and teachers of four-day school weeks. Recommendations for implementation of a four-day week are also presented. (Contains 7 online resources.)

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Descriptors:
Grade Repetition; Enrollment; Foreign Countries; Nutrition; Rural Schools; Public Schools; Outcomes of Education; School Entrance Age; Grade 4; Scores; Disadvantaged Schools; Attendance Patterns; Correlation; Regression (Statistics)

Abstract:
Chile operates one of the oldest and largest school feeding programs in Latin America, targeting higher-calorie meals to relatively poorer schools. This paper evaluates the impact of higher-calorie meals on the education outcomes of public, rural schools and their students. It applies a regression-discontinuity design to administrative data, including school enrollment and attendance, first-grade enrollment age and grade repetition, and fourth-grade test scores. There is no evidence, across a range of specifications and samples, that additional calories affect these variables. The paper suggests that the focus of Chilean policy should further shift to the nutritional composition of school meals, rather than the caloric content. (Contains 10 tables and 5 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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