Advanced placement (AP) is traditionally used to provide rigorous secondary coursework and provide potential postsecondary credit for secondary education students. One of the criticisms of AP is the difference in access across schools. Concurrent enrollment (CE) offers similar opportunities to AP but has been theorized to provide greater access.…

JEM Learning is a new microschool community that provides families with a child-centered alternative to both traditional public and private schools. Microschools like JEM Learning are small, multi-age learning communities with paid educators that are reminiscent of the one-room schoolhouse model. They were gaining traction prior to 2020, but their…

The problem that was addressed in this study was that the teacher evaluation system in a small rural public school in Northern California needed to be examined for teacher effectiveness. This was important to identify perceptions of administration and teachers who stated concern about the effectiveness of the district's teacher evaluation system.…

This quantitative study examined the impact of the use of Response to Intervention (RTI) on student performance at a small rural high school. The strength of RTI is the identification of student need and the weakness is the lack of consistent application of interventions. The problem this study addressed was low student performance as defined by…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore, through the lens of Lawson's (1983a, 1983b) Occupational Socialization Theory, teacher/coaches' lived experiences of teacher/coach role conflict in one large rural school and one small rural school. Through the lens of occupational socialization, this study examines the consequential…

The COVID-19 pandemic forced a global move to distance education, and many keep using different aspects and tools for online learning. Online course enrollments are growing steadily among graduate and undergraduate students. Satisfaction with online courses is becoming a top priority for many colleges and universities. The competition for online…

This paper brings together an examination of the discursive and material architectures of equity contained within the Gonski Review, a watershed policy document in the history of Australian school funding and equity policies. The Review cemented an approach to disadvantage in school funding based around the identification of 'equity groups' --…

Small rural schools often struggle to facilitate true professional learning communities (PLCs) when there is one teacher per grade level in the building. The district selected for this study contained four elementary schools with one teacher per grade level and a combined middle and high school to collect perception data. Utilizing a concurrent…

Despite modest increases in high school graduation rates for all students, disparities still exist for some groups, such as students of color and students from low-income families who face systemic challenges in accessing high-quality public schools. Third-party "school support" organizations like the Urban Assembly have long focused on…

Maintaining the teacher workforce in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has been a perpetual challenge in US public schools' teaching rosters. Prior reports show the supply of new STEM teachers into the profession has declined over time while demand for instruction in STEM fields continues to grow. This paper seeks to…

With small liberal arts colleges (SLACs) producing an increased percentage of STEM graduates, whose voice resonates most regarding science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degree persistence? Chemistry professor? Dad? Best friend? This study investigated if undergraduate student perception of close social subgroup influences…

School climate can be complex to measure and to change, but it is clear that it is a critical component of an effective school. One practice that has been shown to positively influence school climate is Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). PBIS is a framework of evidence-based practices and its power for initiating change has…

This qualitative comparative case study explores the teacher retention system practices of rural and small city school districts in New York State that have low entry-level teacher turnover rates. This research problem addresses the need to examine the system practices employed by districts with high rates of teacher retention in supporting and…

This study aimed to investigate the needs and develop guidelines for improving competency-based instruction for teachers in small-sized secondary schools under the Office of Nakhon Ratchasima Secondary Education. The research gathered data from 216 teachers drawn by using a stratified random sampling method, the sample size was determined by…

Novice principals' experiences and responses to challenges are important for understanding their sensemaking of their role, especially in view of the contextual complexity of leadership in small schools. Using interview data from 19 novice principals in small schools, we explore principals' sensemaking of their key challenges and responses.…