Rural Teachers’ Experiences with a Place-Based Gifted Curriculum

A Case Study

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3776/tpre.2025.v15n1p89-122

Keywords:

rural, gifted, place-based, case study, rural gifted education

Abstract

This qualitative case study examined teachers’ experiences with a language arts curriculum implemented with gifted students in a high-poverty rural school district. The study focused on one rural Appalachian school district where 16 elementary teachers working in eight schools implemented a place-based language arts curriculum designed for gifted third- and fourth-grade students. Data sources included fidelity logs, classroom observations, questionnaires, and an interview. Drawn from analytic induction and thematic coding, findings suggest that existing barriers in rural schools can influence curricular implementation and can impede students from accessing the curriculum in its entirety. Insights from this case study offer implications for practitioners, administrators, policymakers, community members, and researchers to mitigate instructional challenges and increase students’ access to place-based gifted curriculum.

Author Biographies

Michelle Rasheed, University of South Carolina - Aiken

Michelle Rasheed, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Education at the University of South Carolina Aiken. She teaches K-12 literacy courses. Dr. Rasheed is a University Supervisor and Program Coordinator for Early Childhood and Elementary Education. Her research interests include literacy, equity and access, rural education, and gifted education. She enjoys working with pre-service teachers, collaborating with colleagues, and building partnerships with school districts.

Rachelle Kuehl, Virginia Tech

Rachelle Kuehl, Ph.D., is a visiting assistant professor in the School of Education at Virginia Tech where she teaches courses in literacy, social foundations of education, elementary education, and rural education. She is a 2022 National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation postdoctoral fellow whose research primarily examines the intersection of rurality and race, with additional scholarship spanning the fields of children’s literature and rural gifted education. She is the author or co-author of six book chapters and more than 20 articles in journals such as Journal of Literacy Research, The Reading Teacher, English Journal, Research in the Teaching of English, Theory & Practice in Rural Education, Journal of Advanced Academics, Phi Delta Kappan, and Journal of Research in Rural Education.

Amy Price Azano, Virginia Tech

Amy Price Azano, Ph.D., is a Professor of Rural Education and the founding director of the Center for Rural Education at Virginia Tech. A prolific scholar and first-generation college graduate from Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, her research focuses on rural talent development and equity challenges in rural schools and communities. She served as co-principal investigator on Promoting PLACE.

Carolyn M. Callahan, University of Virginia

Carolyn M. Callahan, Ph.D., Commonwealth Professor of Education Emeritus at the University of Virginia, has been principal investigator of the National Center for Research on Gifted Education (formerly NRC/GT), and principal investigator on multiple Javits grants including Promoting PLACE, focusing on the identification and provision of services to rural gifted students.

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Published

2025-10-01

How to Cite

Rasheed, M., Kuehl, R., Azano, A. P., & Callahan, C. M. (2025). Rural Teachers’ Experiences with a Place-Based Gifted Curriculum: A Case Study. Theory & Practice in Rural Education, 15(1), 89–122. https://doi.org/10.3776/tpre.2025.v15n1p89-122

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 1 (2025): Vol. 15 No. 1 (2025): Theory & Practice in Rural Education

Section

Research Forum

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Copyright (c) 2025 Michelle Rasheed, Rachelle Kuehl, Amy Price Azano, Carolyn M. Callahan

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