Objective: This project analyzed recent doctoral dissertations addressing the role of community colleges in rural development for the purpose of identifying themes in the reported results and offering recommendations for future research. Methods: A meta-synthesis approach was utilized with 20 doctoral dissertations from the time period 2009 to…

This article gives meaning to innovating promising practices in high poverty rural contexts, as experienced by the Rural Math Excel Partnership (RMEP). The project sought to develop a model of shared school-family-community responsibility to support student success in foundational math courses as preparation for science, technology, engineering,…

Pennsylvania Intermediate Unit 8 (IU8) seeks to scale innovations that are evolving as local solutions to educational challenges in rural school districts. Consistent with its mission of creating customized solutions, IU8 seeks to make the innovations better, meaning more learner centered and community focused. IU8 is evolving the Getting Better…

In rural America, creating quality work-based-learning opportunities (such as career days and field trips) depends more on understanding students and their families, parent and community involvement, and economic development than on students' ability to compete in a "global economy." Craig Howley's sidebar explains community…

Suggests that school-to-work initiatives can be an important policy tool for rural development. Discusses key components of school-to-work systems (school-based learning, work-based learning, and connecting activities); national and international trends impacting rural economies; rural advantages and weaknesses related to economic development; and…

The philosophical debate about making high fliers out of low academic achievers in places considered educationally and culturally deprived like rural Appalachia warms the hearts of those who see education as the road to economic well-being for the nation. However, education reform rhetoric must be saleable to rural residents who distrust outsiders…

Describes characteristics of the "ideal" rural teacher and highlights the significant issues associated with recruiting and retaining such teachers in rural schools. Claims that new ideas and approaches will be necessary if small rural schools, often located in very isolated and poor areas, are to attract qualified teachers. (Contains 34…

Although the problem varies across the United States, overall there is a shortage of rural teachers, especially in the subject areas of math, science, and special education. Recruiting teachers for rural settings requires targeting persons with rural backgrounds, attacking the negative stereotypes surrounding rural schools, and stressing the…

A case study of Oneida High School (Oneida, Tennessee) in December 1997 examined influences and unique circumstances that sustained the school in the face of possible closure and enabled it to "flourish." The study included structured interviews with over 70 individuals in the school and community, focus groups, and informal…

The School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 established a national framework to guide the development of statewide school-to-work (STW) opportunities systems in each state. Governors apply to the National School-to-Work Office for 5-year federal implementation grants. Early research on implementation of STW in rural areas suggests that…

Opportunities abound for educational service agencies (ESAs) to assist rural schools districts with implementing the No Child Left Behind Act. Strategies that ESAs could pursue are presented for critical issues in the areas of school-community relationships, school roles in rural development, funding, standard setting, school size, facility…

This paper describes four considerations for policymakers who wish to have public schools serve as viable partners in the rural development efforts of their communities. First, schools are a community resource. When rural students are given opportunities to engage in community-based learning, they develop responsible citizenship and leadership…

This resource guide provides information on community service-learning activities for rural students. The guide is based on focus-group sessions in which participants from five rural Appalachian counties identified community service activities that would enhance students' academic success, improve their transition from school to work, and address…

To have an impact on rural schools and communities, education researchers and reformers must stop approaching rural issues from an urban perspective, adopt a perspective that values rurality, and address issues specific to the rural context. Rural schools have contributed to the depletion of rural communities by focusing on individual mobility and…