The purpose of this paper is to present an exploration on the response of parents of two rural multigrade schools facing the homeschooling activities in the context of pandemics. To frame a comparative perspective some conceptual work was done about new rurality and family structure before interviewing parents of both schools about distribution of…

This paper examines the mathematical experiences of students with additional and diverse needs in multi-year classes within the educational context of small regional South Australian (SA) schools. Qualitative research methods were used to collect data about how students communicate their mathematical thinking. Opportunities for students to…

In a prior study, MDRC researchers found that Small Schools of Choice, a SIG-approved high school reform initiative, markedly and consistently increased high school graduation rates in New York City when it was implemented in 100+ high schools between 2002 and 2008. A four-year follow-up study found that the initiative increased students'…

This longitudinal (2013-17), exploratory, mixed methods case study of a small, secondary school in a high poverty neighborhood located in a major northeastern city, investigates the changes in leadership practices and essential organizational structures during several phases of an improvement effort, supported by a federal School Improvement Grant…

This paper draws from research on individual and organizational learning to explore the opportunities for creating new models of schooling and to explain why many reform efforts end up producing incremental rather than radical changes. To do so, the study documents the evolution of two organizations that have worked to launch new, alternative…

Sociocultural perspectives on learning highlight varied conceptions of what it means to know and do mathematics, and in turn what it means to be mathematically competent. This work presents a dynamic conceptualization of competence--what counts as competent mathematical activity is negotiated and constructed within learning environments, and…

Restorative practices statistically replicate racial inequality in discipline, even while reducing overall school suspension rates and improving school climate. To understand why, the researcher conducted a year-long, multi-case ethnography examining restorative practices at three public secondary small schools in New York City. All three school…

In order to prepare teachers to integrate technology into teaching and learning activities, teacher educators and administrators need current information about the types of technologies available in classrooms. The current survey research study of K-12 public school teachers in a rural North Midwestern state provides updated information on…

School reformers hope that converting comprehensive high schools into collections of small schools will produce results similar to those realized in freestanding small schools. This comparative case study revisits two "conversions" as they complete the grant funding that supported the reform, in order to explore the extent to which…

Over the last decade, New York City has been the site of a systemwide high school reform effort that is unprecedented in its scope and pace. Since 2002, the school district has closed more than 20 failing high schools, opened more than 200 new secondary schools, and implemented a centralized high school admission process in which approximately…

In attracting a good staff, one should stress the characteristics of a small district that might be attractive to recruits: a low teacher-pupil ratio, more opportunities to take leadership roles, opportunity to give more individual attention to students, a greater oppportunity to be part of the community, ability to be closer to one's own…

This study examines why 51 schools declined an invitation to participate in a state-funded educator incentive initiative, the Texas Educator Excellence Grant (TEEG) program. Using data from an ongoing evaluation of the TEEG program conducted by the National Center on Performance Incentives (NCPI) under contract with Texas Education Agency, this…

The factors of people, technology, structure, and task provide a sociotechnical model for understanding the essential elements of schools as organizations. Schools can be understood as cultures and managed as such. Effective schools focus on a task-oriented organizational culture that meaningfully involves all participants in the key elements of…

After a brief explanation of the way his state finances education, the speaker focuses on specific methods his small, rural district uses to save money and ease budget problems. (IRT)

Critiquing arguments from the "small school" movement in cities such as New York and Chicago, this paper provides a basis for making sense of the apparent divergence in policies governing schooling structures in rural and urban places. Its interpretation examines the way the urban small schools movement works to valorize (and hence draw support…