Theory & Practice in Rural Education

Rural perspectives

2025-04-09T18:53:04+00:00

Rural school and district leaders often have distinctive viewpoints about education, their local communities, and the effectiveness of their schools. Using a modified survey instrument, more than 100 rural school leaders from one Rocky Mountain State provided input on the critical issues impacting their schools and students and the future of public schools in the United States. A statistical review and the utilization of a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) found that most rural school and district leaders expressed their immediate concerns about budgetary shortfalls and a lack of educators to serve as teachers in their schools. In addition, many leaders see their schools as capable of working with students who perform above and below grade level. Recommendations for future research include an examination of how rural leaders support LGBTQ+ students, particularly those who are academically at or below grade level, and implementing new efforts to promote innovative solutions to persistent rural school challenges.

Rural School Counselors’ Experiences Responding to the Rural Youth Mental Health Crisis

2025-06-09T14:43:03+00:00

In response to a gap in the literature and the growing mental health needs of rural youth, the authors conducted a phenomenological investigation comprised of fifteen rural school counselors nationwide exploring the rural youth mental health crisis’s impact on their students, schools, and roles. The following themes emerged: rising youth mental health needs, protective and risk factors, pandemic impacts, and school counselors’ changing roles. Implications for rural school counselors, school districts, and counselor preparation are discussed, along with limitations and future research.

Transferability of Critical Thinking in Rural Pre-Service Teachers’ Classrooms

2024-12-12T13:07:06+00:00

This qualitative study explored how pre-service teachers transferred critical thinking skills into practicums and classrooms in rural settings. Additionally, how pre-service teachers fostered critical thinking was examined. Pre-service teachers understood the reasoning behind why it was crucial to enact critical thinking in classrooms with early learners. The nurturing of human skills such as problem-solving and collaborative work was imperative in the younger years. Most participants found that, through observation and learning experiences, they were able to refine their pedagogical strategies. Therefore, the study found four themes that were produced through semi-structured interviews. Finally, how pre-service teachers fostered critical thinking by engaging their young students in active learning was seen. Thus, this study provided insight into how critical thinking is transferred from pre-service teachers to young students, and the means through which this occurs, specifically within rural settings. These findings clarify how pre-service teachers work to foster skills in young students during practicums and student teaching in rural areas.

Rural Teachers’ Experiences with a Place-Based Gifted Curriculum

2025-05-25T14:09:07+00:00

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.

Rural High School Chemistry Teachers’ Views and Implementation of Inquiry-Based Laboratory Instruction as Set Forth in the Georgia Standards of Excellence

2024-12-12T13:08:22+00:00

Inquiry-based instruction within science has been a growing field for decades. The foundation of inquiry is constructivism; that students must do science in order to understand it. Instruction using inquiry is something that has been written into the Next Generation Science Standards along with many state standards, like the Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE). Teaching inquiry within a rural public high school chemistry setting has its own set of challenges unique to the rural context. Research is needed to give those educators a voice regarding teaching inquiry. This study utilized a mixed-methods design of survey and interviews to allow these rural public high school chemistry teachers a platform to weigh in on the feasibility of teaching standards through inquiry, planning, and professional development required to teach an inquiry-based unit including laboratory activities. Almost two-thirds of Georgia’s rural public high schools had at least one participant who completed the survey. Participants from the survey were then chosen to complete an interview to further discuss their experiences. The survey data showed that the majority of participants used inquiry in their classrooms in some form but desired more time and resources to implement inquiry-based instruction. Methods used to integrate inquiry in the classroom and lab varied, as expected. One finding showed that many interview participants seemed to perceive students planning and carrying out investigations as reserved for wet labs. Interview data also emphasized how much time and personal funds teachers spend on their classrooms for labs and professional development. A desire for chemistry-specific professional development resonated among survey and interview participants. The findings brought forth in this dissertation can be used to inform policies regarding professional development and continued support for rural public high school teachers. Georgia Department of Education can also use the data to help meet the expressed needs of teachers in the state. Additionally, other states can use the data presented here to begin discussions about their own rural teachers and how they can best be supported to teach chemistry using inquiry-based instruction.

Sustaining Engineering Education for Rural Contexts: Implications from a Multi-year Study

2025-03-25T19:20:04+00:00

We studied how three rural teachers continued to apply locally relevant engineering practices after a five-year nationally funded project ended, despite lacking formal support. Our research aimed to identify key factors that either aided or hindered the ongoing use of these practices in their classrooms. While the initial adoption of the practices was successful, sustaining them without formal support proved challenging. Our findings highlight that administrative support, teacher agency, and resource availability were essential factors. Furthermore, the specific rural contexts of each teacher presented unique obstacles to maintaining the benefits gained during the project. We conclude that achieving sustainable change in engineering teaching practices requires a collaborative approach that considers the differences across school and classroom environments.

Teaching Principals in Rural, Remote, and Northern Schools in Canada: An Empirical Analysis of Workload, Roles, and Instructional Leadership

2024-07-29T15:06:42+00:00

This paper reports on findings of a study that examined the role of teaching principals in rural, remote and northern schools in Canada. A teaching principal is a principal who has a “double load” or dual roles in teaching and administration. The objectives of this study are: 1) to describe the role of the teaching principal in northern, rural, and remote school districts in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba; 2) to characterize the practices of teaching principals in rural, remote and northern school contexts in terms; and 3) to delineate implications of the above findings for leadership theory, practice and preparation. As part of a larger multi-methods study, we conducted a survey of 70 teaching principals in three Canadian provinces (Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan) related to school and community contexts, workloads, and leadership, administrative and teaching responsibilities. This paper reports on the findings of the survey that demonstrate:1) the difficulties teaching principals face with respect to balancing administrative, teaching, and personal responsibilities; 2) belief that holding a teaching role while serving as a principal improves leadership capabilities; and 3) instructional leadership practices for teaching principals may be significantly different from those identified in the literature on instructional leadership.

The Invisible Aches of Being a Black Rural Principal in a Predominantly White School

2024-07-24T14:54:02+00:00

This autoethnographic study addresses a critical gap in research regarding the experiences of Black principals, particularly those operating outside of urban settings. While there is extensive literature on Black urban principals, their counterparts in rural areas remain strikingly understudied. In response to this absence of scholarship, this autoethnographic research, grounded in W.E.B. DuBois’s double consciousness, served two purposes: (a) to understand my experiences as a rural principal in a predominantly White school and (b) to understand how those experiences informed my leadership practices and self-view. Through personal vignettes, I provide a glimpse into and an examination of pivotal moments of how I experienced rural principalship by shedding light on the intersection of race, locale, and leadership. I provide a voice to the lived experiences of rural principalship, which contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of educational leadership. From this (re)examination, I illuminate how those experiences created a template for my work as a principal beyond a rural context.

Editorial Board

2025-09-17T13:45:33+00:00

Call for Manuscripts

2025-09-26T18:16:52+00:00

Introduction

2025-09-17T13:41:51+00:00

Threads of Tradition

2025-08-14T15:37:14+00:00

The project investigated and documented oral histories, with the goal of preserving and understanding the experiences, perspectives, and cultural heritage of individuals living in rural areas. It addresses the potential loss of valuable narratives and insights due to the changing landscape of the region. Existing knowledge about rural communities often focuses on statistical data, economic indicators, and policy analyses, providing limited insight into the lived experiences and personal stories of rural residents. Oral histories offer a unique and invaluable source of information, allowing researchers to capture the nuanced narratives, traditions, and challenges faced by rural people groups in their own words. While there have been studies examining various aspects of rural life, including economic challenges, social dynamics, and cultural transformations, there is a dearth of comprehensive oral history projects that center specifically on the lived experiences of rural people. By filling this gap, the project contributes to a more holistic understanding of rural communities, shedding light on their rich cultural heritage, community dynamics, and the impacts of societal changes. Making use of digital presentations and tools, oral history interviewers examine and analyze the rural narratives collected, focusing on what makes communities and neighborhoods in rural areas truly great, i.e., stories of their people.