Many political leaders advocate for school consolidation as a strategy for solving Indiana's school funding issues and increasing student academic performance. However, school consolidation should be a decision made by local stakeholders and community members with thoughtful consideration given to a multitude of academic and economic factors. The…

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…

College readiness is a challenge for numerous college-bound students in the United States. A recent high school graduate or returning to school student has to contend with collegiate curricula, unfamiliar faculty, and new peers at a foreign institution. Therefore, acclimating to the new environment and new routine of college is necessary for a…

The disproportionality of Black students identified as gifted has been a hot topic of discussion in the field of education for decades. If the purpose of education is to maximize the potential of all learners, then educators are missing the mark. Although multiple factors may impact the gifted identification of Black students, one of the biggest…

According to the content found on its website, AVID has conducted studies to evaluate the academic performance of AVID students when compared to their non-AVID peers. A distinct research endeavor was undertaken to evaluate the impact of introducing AVID Elementary within a small rural school district. This study focused on student academic…

This article presents a rich account of school leadership development within the North Coast Initiative for School Improvement program in New South Wales, Australia. The focus is the school leader at a small rural school, whose engagement with generative dialogue and collaborative inquiry results in a growing confidence in engaging her school…

The term Catholic microschool refers to a sustainable Catholic school that is rooted in the tenets of Catholic faith and that has employed excellence in faith formation, academic programs and operational vitality while maintaining a student population that is smaller than its neighboring schools. Overall, 25 percent of the Catholic schools in the…

Regarding the faults of the Japanese compulsory enrollment system, premised on attendance at a specific school, a forward-looking view must be taken on the guarantee of opportunities for general education via non-physical attendance (online attendance) in which physical attendance is not the default. At this time, municipal Boards of Education are…

Every child deserves the right to attend a school that can best meet his or her individual learning needs. Where the child lives should not be a limiting factor, and no one school is the best fit for every child who just happens to live nearby. Education-choice policies have the potential to expand education options for students in rural areas.…

This phenomenological study examines the experience of middle school youth at a small public school in New Hampshire as they engaged in youth participatory action research (YPAR) designed to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within their predominantly White suburban community. This study centered the 22 participants' perspectives…

As arguments for the liberalization of education grow more heated, how are we to approach Japanese schools as a community? This paper clarifies the basic concept of the "small schools" theory typified by the METI "Future Classrooms" (functionalist and individualist reorganizations), and organizes the relevant points of debate.…

The proliferation of settings in which personalized learning platforms have been used during the pandemic offers rich opportunities for describing those use cases and understanding how such platforms might affect students' academic, social, and emotional outcomes. There is relatively little known about which use cases provide the best outcomes for…

Rural school success is crucial for the Nebraska education system. Without rural schools, many students and families would be without access to high quality educational opportunities. Despite the importance of rural education, the number of rural schools in Nebraska continues to decline, and "one thing is clear from academic research on rural…

Background: Teachers describe their colleagues as one of their most valuable resources (Drury & Baer, 2011; Johnston & Tsai, 2018). Teachers often report seeking out colleagues who teach the same grade or subject to get advice or to plan instruction together (Frank, 2009; Spillane et al., 2015). Given that research shows that professional…

The purpose of the current study was to explore how superintendents in small, rural districts in Texas utilized the various resources of professional networks to navigate leadership during the crisis caused by COVID-19. When faced with a crisis, superintendents lead the district's response and provide guidance and reassurance for the school…