Compared to all other options, homeschooling provides parents with the most control over their children's educational experiences. The COVID-19 pandemic led to a surge in the U.S. homeschool population. Black families had the largest increase in home educators from 3.3% to 16.1% between April 2020 and October 2020. The emerging literature on Black…

The purpose of this quasi-experimental quantitative study was to investigate the teacher's perceptions of their principals performing as rural instructional leaders in Alabama school systems based on the gender of the principal, years of acquaintance with the principal, and teachers' work experience. Influential instructional leaders practice…

Alabama standards for Early Learning and Development have shifted to a more academic-based learning approach that moves away from play-based learning. The problem is Alabama early childhood educators are expected to implement a more teacher-directed approach in the classroom. The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory case study was to explore…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and develop a detailed description of how digital inequities in rural Alabama contribute to the underrepresentation of African Americans in STEM careers. The participants' unique lived experiences with digital inequities related to understanding the intersection of attributes such as rurality,…

Rural teacher recruitment and retention is a matter of interest for the state of Alabama as policymakers look to understand teacher shortages in rural schools across the state. How teachers are prepared to teach in rural schools is an essential part of rural teacher recruitment and retention. Preservice teachers need exposure to rural contexts as…

Public school students in the Black Belt of Alabama suffer from food insecurity disproportionately compared with national peers. Results of a recent mixed methods study indicated food insecurity levels that were three times the national average, with very low food security an alarming 11 times the national average. In the fight against hunger in…

Many inmates in rural areas remain unprepared to obtain employment after incarceration because of the limited access to preparatory and reentry programs. After prison, these ex-offenders lack the vocational and educational resources required to obtain viable employment and struggle with their employability. Research has established that the lack…

This qualitative case study examines the impact of the Alabama Teacher Excellence and Accountability for Mathematics and Science (TEAMS) Act on collective efficacy in a rural school district. The study focuses on the perceptions of non-math and science teachers and administrators to understand how the pay disparities introduced by the TEAMS Act…

Every professor (who teaches online or uses online submissions) has probably heard that story about not having internet access at a crucial time. It is kind of like that story about the "dog eating the homework…", but in rural areas, the dog may be lack of internet connectivity. Broadband commonly refers to high-speed internet access…

This study aimed at averting challenges of overweight and obesity among African Americans in rural Alabama. Focus group discussions and surveys were used to design a 12-week nutrition education and physical activity program. Results showed a significant improvement (p<0.05) in participants' knowledge scores. Values for systolic blood pressure…

Social and emotional learning (SEL) has become a growing field of research over the past two decades because students need to be psychologically stable and academically strong. While academic success is important, the SEL of students is vital to their performance. The setting for this quantitative descriptive study was a recognized rural Head…

The authors of this article have participated in intensive professional development in the Peruvian Amazon and brought this firsthand experience of the rainforest back to their classrooms. However, the activities presented in this article are designed to be accessible and inspirational to "all students," regardless of whether they or…

Advocates 4 ALL Youth (ALLY) is a universal, 6-week mental health literacy program, implemented in schools during the school day by community volunteers. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of the ALLY program on youth who endorsed negative affect (i.e., self-reported symptoms of both depression and anxiety). Using a randomized…

This is the first of two reports exploring the relationship between coal activity and funding for elementary and secondary education in the Appalachian Region. In this first report, patterns in funding for elementary and secondary education are explored using annual data from 1995 to 2016. Counties that had some level of coal employment over this…

Social and emotional learning (SEL) has become a growing field of research over the past two decades because students need to be psychologically stable and academically strong. While academic success is important, the SEL of students is vital to their performance. The setting for this quantitative descriptive study was a recognized rural Head…