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Full-Text Articles in Education
Rural Teachers’ Burnout, Well-Being, And Covid-19 Related Stress During The Pandemic, Jennifer D. Deaton, L. Dianne Borders, Carrie Wachter Morris, Jasmine L. Garland Mckinney, Saron Fantahun, Alexandria N. Smith
Rural Teachers’ Burnout, Well-Being, And Covid-19 Related Stress During The Pandemic, Jennifer D. Deaton, L. Dianne Borders, Carrie Wachter Morris, Jasmine L. Garland Mckinney, Saron Fantahun, Alexandria N. Smith
The Rural Educator
To date, researchers have not explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being of rural teachers specifically. Rural schools already faced long-standing issues of lower salaries, professional isolation, teacher shortages, and technology challenges, suggesting rural teachers may have experienced even higher levels of distress due to the pandemic. Overall, however, teachers from one rural county school system in the southeastern United States reported moderate COVID-19 concerns, low distress, and moderate well-being. Results could reflect responses characteristic of rural resilience. Further study is needed to explore teachers’ unique coping strategies.
Promising Practice: Book Studies As Professional Development For Rural Teachers, Erika L. Bass, Anthony Olson
Promising Practice: Book Studies As Professional Development For Rural Teachers, Erika L. Bass, Anthony Olson
The Rural Educator
This promising practice article describes conducting book studies as professional development in rural communities. In this article, we share our understanding of the importance of this type of professional development in rural schools, as well as considerations for those who wish to start something similar in their districts.
Exploring Collaborative Professionalism As A Means Of Virtually Supporting Rural Teachers, Martha Inouye, Ana K. Houseal, Clare Gunshenan, Angus Mcreynolds, Mark Perkins
Exploring Collaborative Professionalism As A Means Of Virtually Supporting Rural Teachers, Martha Inouye, Ana K. Houseal, Clare Gunshenan, Angus Mcreynolds, Mark Perkins
The Rural Educator
Thirty percent of US teachers work in rural schools where geographic isolation and lack of peers can make it difficult for them to engage in collaborative professional relationships with colleagues. Facilitated professional development can be used as a way to build these networks. Using a situative perspective in which teachers are viewed as experts and agents in their own professional learning and by capitalizing on the rapid increase in understanding and use of video conferencing in 2021, the research team developed an open-enrollment, co-designed series of workshops for rural teachers in the intermountain West. The team was interested in how …
An Examination Of Resiliency In Rural Special Educators, Gregory C. Zost
An Examination Of Resiliency In Rural Special Educators, Gregory C. Zost
The Rural Educator
Retention of rural special education teachers is a dilemma for many school districts. Districts in rural areas suffer from a lack of qualified special educaiton teachers. Therefor, the problem of having enough qualified special educators is not easily solved. Many rural distrits are able to hire teacher candidaes, but fail to retain them for various reasons. Building resiliency in new teachers and educators during the first several years of teaching may be part of the answer to addressing the high rate fo teacher turnover in rural areas. This paper summarizes highlights from research completed with rural Nebraska teachers on th …
Edward W. Chance Dissertation Award: Rural Teacher Satisfaction: An Analysis Of Beliefs And Attitudes Of Rural Teachers’ Job Satisfaction, John T. Huysman
Edward W. Chance Dissertation Award: Rural Teacher Satisfaction: An Analysis Of Beliefs And Attitudes Of Rural Teachers’ Job Satisfaction, John T. Huysman
The Rural Educator
This study analyzed teachers’ beliefs and attitudes affecting job satisfaction in one small, rural Florida school district. This mixed methods study included a self-administered survey of Likert-type items measuring 20 factors for job satisfaction and individual semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Several issues related to dissatisfaction surfaced not presented in previous studies. Teachers often found themselves frustrated at work because of conflicting expectations concerning their professional and social roles within the community and perceived that peers or coalitions within the schools possessed undue influence and power. Of most concern to participants was the perception of being unappreciated. This perception was …
Can A Week Make A Difference? Changing Perceptions About Teaching And Living In Rural Alaska, T. R. Munsch, Colin R. Boylan
Can A Week Make A Difference? Changing Perceptions About Teaching And Living In Rural Alaska, T. R. Munsch, Colin R. Boylan
The Rural Educator
Many Alaskan schools are located in extremely remote or 'fly-in' places. These geographical extremes affect the recruitment and retention of teachers to remote rural schools. Through a partnership between the Southwest Region School District of Alaska and the Department of Education at Alaska Pacific University (APU), 14 pre-service teachers participated in a one-week remote rural practice teaching experience. These APU students lived and taught in village schools where indigenous Alaska Natives were the majority and whose language is Yup’ik. Through the use of pre and post experience questionnaires, the pre-service teachers’ views about rural teaching and seeking rural appointments were …
Teaching In China, Tanya Lebans, Margie Radigan
Teaching In China, Tanya Lebans, Margie Radigan
The Rural Educator
As part of a Canadian International Development Agency funded project working with rural teachers in central China, recent graduates Lebans and Radigan spent a month teaching in Chinese schools. The primary purpose of the project is to work with members of the Sichuan Provincial Teacher Training Centre and rural teachers from Wenchuan County develop a professional development plan in response to China’s current focus on education reform. This article is a synthesis of Lebans’ and Radigan’s experiences.
Expressed Values Of 4-H Adult Volunteer Leaders: Implications For Rural Teachers And 4-H Staff, Janet Usinger, Don Breazeale, Marilyn Smith
Expressed Values Of 4-H Adult Volunteer Leaders: Implications For Rural Teachers And 4-H Staff, Janet Usinger, Don Breazeale, Marilyn Smith
The Rural Educator
Historically, the collaborative efforts between rural teachers and 4-H have provided enhanced opportunities for youth that would not have been otherwise possible. As resources continue to diminish in rural communities, this collaboration is valuable to both schools and the 4-H organization. Currently rural schools are concentrating on the increased demand for academic accountability through performance testing and other evaluation instruments. This trend has resulted in less time for the elective outlets that have traditionally been an important part of school. At a time when 4-H could help fill an important gap in rural communities, changes within the organization have left …
Improved Professional Development Through Teacher Leadership, Wesley D. Hickey, Sandra Harris
Improved Professional Development Through Teacher Leadership, Wesley D. Hickey, Sandra Harris
The Rural Educator
Research suggests the need to provide leadership opportunities for teachers within school settings in order to increase professional collaboration and community. This research explored one rural district’s professional development model, which was evaluated to determine its potential in developing teacher leaders. This district’s professional development model utilized their exemplary teachers to develop other teachers through formal presentations that were traditionally taught by non-district experts. This study utilized a practitioner research methodology to determine effectiveness of using teachers as leaders. Data were collected to determine the impact on the teacher leaders and the effectiveness of the presentations as perceived by the …
Rural Research Brief: High-Quality Teaching: Providing For Rural Teachers’ Professional Development, Aimee Howley, Craig B. Howley
Rural Research Brief: High-Quality Teaching: Providing For Rural Teachers’ Professional Development, Aimee Howley, Craig B. Howley
The Rural Educator
This article was adapted from a Policy Brief with the same title, published by the Appalachia Educational Laboratory.
The Appalachian Model Teaching Consortium: Preparing Teachers For Rural Appalachia, Alvin C. Proffit, R. Paul Sale, Ann E. Alexander, Ruth S. Andrews
The Appalachian Model Teaching Consortium: Preparing Teachers For Rural Appalachia, Alvin C. Proffit, R. Paul Sale, Ann E. Alexander, Ruth S. Andrews
The Rural Educator
The Appalachian Model Teacher Consortium is a partnership involving Radford University, Wytheville Community College, and the Grayson County (Virginia) School System. Its purpose is to prepare highly qualified teachers for rural southwest Virginia. The model was developed in response to the growing teacher shortage facing school districts in rural southwest Virginia. Poorer, more rural districts often have weaker tax bases that provide limited, and at times inadequate, financial support for their school districts. This lack of local resources often results in lower salaries and benefits when compared to many districts that compete for the shrinking pool of potential teachers. Additionally, …