AERA Rural Education SIG

AERA Rural Education SIG Call for Proposals Invite 2012

2011-06-29T14:18:00.001-04:00

Dear Rural Educators,

On behalf of the Rural Education SIG, I'd like to invite you to submit proposals for the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, to be held April 13-18 in Vancouver, BC. The Rural Education SIG welcomes submissions concerning any aspect of education that is situated in rural contexts.

The number of paper sessions allotted to each SIG is based on the number of submissions it receives, so please consider submitting to the Rural Education SIG. In order to become a member of the Rural Education SIG, one must be a member of AERA. You can join the Rural SIG at the same time that you renew or begin your AERA membership. AERA has implemented a new membership database and management system. The internet component provides full e-commerce so that members may renew and/or join at any time online.

The deadline for submissions is July 22. To submit a proposal, log in at http://www.aera.net and select "SIG: Rural Education."

We also encourage you to volunteer to be a chair or discussant for Rural Education SIG sessions. To volunteer, log in at http://www.aera.net by August 31.

We look forward to receiving your submissions! Please share this information with other interested colleagues.

Best,

Kim

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

Peer Reviewers Needed for Next Investing in Innovation (i3) Grant Competition

2011-06-25T14:18:00.000-04:00

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII) supports innovative practices that are demonstrated to have an impact on improving student achievement. OII is currently seeking individuals to serve as peer reviewers for the newly announced FY 2011 Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund grant competition. The Call for Peer Reviewers may be found on the i3 website at:

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/innovation/2011/call-for-peer-reviewers.html.

Peer reviewers may come from various backgrounds and professions including: PK-12 teachers and principals, college and university educators, educational evaluators, social entrepreneurs, strategy consultants, grant makers and managers, and others with education expertise. The selected reviewers must have expertise in at least one of the program’s five absolute priorities or in educational evaluation:

i3 Absolute Priorities

· Supporting Effective Teachers and Principals

· Promoting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

· Implementing Standards and Assessments

· Turning Around Low Performing Schools

· Improving Achievement in Rural LEA’s

Educational Evaluation

Experience in designing, conducting, and reviewing rigorous educational evaluations, including:

· Understanding of education research and recent findings of the relevant literature

· Knowledge of education data sources and measures of program implementation and outcomes

· Expertise with experimental and quasi-experimental research designs

· Fluency in reviewing organizational and project evaluation plans and evaluation results

Additionally, the most qualified candidates will also have expertise in one or more of the following attributes or skills: program or organizational innovation, experience disseminating or scaling successful programs, and prior experience reviewing or approving grant applications.

For specific instructions on how to apply, please consult the i3 Call for Peer Reviewers. The deadline for applying is Friday, July 8. Upon successful and timely completion of all required tasks, reviewers will receive an honorarium for their time and effort.

For additional information about i3, please go to http://www.ed.gov/programs/innovation/index.html.

###

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

Webcast Now Available

2011-06-09T15:30:00.001-04:00

If you cannot read this message, please click here

ICF International

Webinar

Download Roundtable Webinar on Effective Leadership in Rural Schools

The on-demand webcast version of ICF’s Expert Perspectives on Effective Leadership in Rural Schools webinar is now available. Hear ICF's roundtable of experts discuss practice and policy issues specific to rural schools and efforts that can help to address educational needs.

View On-Demand Webcast

Ask Us How...

ICF is exploring how socioeconomic status and attachment to place influences rural youth’s educational and residential preferences. Read our whitepaper summarizing our findings.

Education in the Appalachian States

ICF is focusing efforts on education in the Appalachian states, including North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. Suggest webinar and whitepaper topics by emailing info@icfi.com.

ICF International (NASDAQ:ICFI) partners with government and commercial clients to deliver professional services and technology solutions in the energy, environment and transportation; health, education, and social programs; and homeland security and defense markets. The firm combines passion for its work with industry expertise and innovative analytics to produce compelling results throughout the entire program life cycle, from research and analysis through implementation and improvement. Since 1969, ICF has been serving government at all levels, major corporations, and multilateral institutions. More than 3,700 employees serve these clients worldwide. ICF's Web site is www.icfi.com.

ICF International | 9300 Lee Highway Fairfax, VA 22031 | 1.703.934.3000

This message was sent to mkbarbour@gmail.com by:
ICF International (feedback@icfi.com)
9300 Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA 22031-1207 • 703-934-3000

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

Rural Grant Propels Distance Learning for K-12 Schools

2011-06-01T19:44:00.000-04:00

Web 2.0 Strategies for Education

6/1/2011

Contact the Editor

Follow on Twitter

Sponsor this Newsletter

Change email address

Unsubscribe

Focus

Rural Grant Propels Distance Learning for K-12 Schools

A new grant is allowing Texas schools to create connections between multiple rural institutions. Through videoconferencing technologies and in-class tools, students from 14 districts will be able to participate in dual-enrollment programs and to collaborate with their peers from around the world.
More

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

ICF Webinar: Effective Leadership in Rural Schools

2011-05-31T21:01:00.000-04:00

If you cannot read this message, please click here

ICF International

Webinar

Reminder

Attend: Expert Perspectives on Effective Leadership in Rural Schools

Join ICF for an online roundtable of school leadership experts who will discuss practice and policy issues specific to rural schools. This webinar will review leadership needs of rural schools, the vision for programs like the Northeast Leadership Academy and the Principals Excellence Program, and lessons learned from other rural schools.

Register to Attend

June 2, 2011
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm EDT

Meet Your Roundtable Experts on School Leadership

Teresa Duncan, ICF International, Senior Fellow
Jerry Johnson, Ohio University, Assistant Professor, Educational Studies
Bonnie Fusarelli, North Carolina State University, Associate Professor, Educational Leadership & Policy Studies
Tricia Browne-Ferrigno, University of Kentucky, Associate Professor, Educational Leadership Studies

Ask Us How...

ICF is exploring how socioeconomic status and attachment to place influences rural youth’s educational and residential preferences. Read our whitepaper summarizing our findings.

Education in the Appalachian States

ICF is focusing efforts on education in the Appalachian states, including North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. Suggest webinar and whitepaper topics by emailing info@icfi.com.

ICF International | 9300 Lee Highway Fairfax, VA 22031 | 1.703.934.3000

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

ICF Whitepaper: Influences on Rural Youth Education Decisions

2011-05-18T16:53:00.000-04:00

If you cannot read this message, please click here

ICF International

Whitepaper

Learn: Influences of Academic Aspirations for Rural Youth

What makes a rural student an Achiever or a Stayer? Learn the difference between these types of youth and more of what influences their academic and residential decisions for adulthood. ICF’s Caitlin Howley and Kimberly Hambrick, based on studies of identified rural schools, provide an outlook of factors that contribute to these decisions, including gender, teachers roles, and the local economy.

Download Rural Youth Whitepaper

For more information on ICF’s Education service, please visit www.icfi.com/education or email info@icfi.com.

Meet the Authors

Dr. Caitlin Howley, Senior Manager

Dr. Kimberly Hambrick, Principal

Ask Us How...

ICF is helping address the educational needs of rural schools. Join us on June 2nd for an online roundtable of experts on school leadership that will discuss practice and policy issues specific to rural schools.

ICF International | 9300 Lee Highway Fairfax, VA 22031 | 1.703.934.3000

This message was sent to mkbarbour@gmail.com by:
ICF International (feedback@icfi.com)
9300 Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA 22031-1207 • 703-934-3000

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

AARE Conference 2011: Sunday, 27 November – Thursday, 1 December 2011

2011-04-04T10:17:00.000-04:00

Based on our partnership with the the Rural Education SIG of the Australian Association of Research in Education (AARE) - see Australian Association of Research in Education (AARE): Rural Education SIG - I wanted to make you aware of their up-coming conference:

http://www.aare.edu.au/AARE2011-FirstFlyer.pdf

If you're interested in the event and fancy a trip down under, I'd encourage you to submit a proposal. The closing date for abstracts is 08 May.

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education, AARE, Australia

Australian Association of Research in Education (AARE) - Rural Education SIG

2011-03-29T10:09:00.001-04:00

As we look to make more international connections, I wanted to post from information about the Rural Education SIG of the Australian Association of Research in Education (AARE).

------------------

Australian Association of Research in Education (AARE)

Rural Education SIG

Outline

SIG Name: Rural Education

Aims: The Rural Education Special Interest Group aims to foster and promote research and scholarly work into the needs of rural, regional and remote schools and other educational settings and their communities.

Rationale: A focus on rural education is imperative for the economic and social well being for vibrant and productive rural communities. Across Australia there are many different research groups focusing of the needs of rural schools and their communities. This SIG will provide a place for these researchers to share their work and to build from each other’s work. The SIG will be a forum for dissemination as well as a platform to engage with policy makers. The SIG will also enable cross international opportunities with members from other Education Associations such as the Rural Education SIG in AERA.

Research interests:

• Recruitment and retention of high quality (rural, regional and remote) teachers

• Access and opportunity for teacher and leader professional learning and development opportunities

• Rural Youth and families– pathways, choices and opportunities

• Rural Community renewal

• Indigenous education

• Rural education and health

Convenor and contact details: Professor Simone White

Head of School and Associate Dean

School of Education (Gippsland Campus)

Northways Road, Churchill, VIC, 3842

Telephone: (03) 5127124

Email: simone.white@monash.edu

------------------

Hoping this is the start of a great international partnership.

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education, AARE, Australia

AERA Rural Education SIG Newsletter - Spring 2011

2011-03-08T17:18:00.002-05:00

RURAL EDUCATION

A Special Interest Group Affiliated with the

American Educational Research Association

Vol. 9, Issue 1-------Spring 2011

Letter from the Rural Education SIG Chair

Greetings!

I hope you are planning to attend the AERA annual meeting in New Orleans, April 8-12. I’m looking forward to renewing old acquaintances, meeting new researchers and potential colleagues, and learning about new research in rural education. I hope you
are as well!

The Rural Education SIG has a very interesting series of sessions on the program. See the SIG program later in this newsletter. One of our sessions is the annual SIG business meeting, which will take place Sunday evening, 6:15-7:45pm in the Sheraton
Hotel’s Edgewood Room. This will be followed, as has been our practice in recent years, by dinner out at a near-by restaurant, with the cost partially subsidized by the SIG.

Three years ago, in New York City, we had a discussion at the business meeting of “Areas of Future Interest in Rural Education Research.” At the business meeting this year, I’d like to revisit the list of topics we identified in 2008, and see where
we think we are on each of them. What have we learned that has moved our research forward? What still needs investigation? If these topics have not been addressed in the last three years, what is holding back investigations in these areas? What new
areas of interest have emerged in the past three years? The areas we identified in 2008 were (in the order in which they were brought up at that meeting):

• Positive work in rural schools: What are the characteristics of effective teachers, and of students who are successful despite the odds?

• People who stay vs. people who leave: What are rural schools doing for people who stay, and for those who leave?

• Place-based education: What is the trajectory of place-based education projects, and what does it take to sustain them?

• New immigrants in rural areas: What were schools like in the places they left, and what are the schools in their new communities doing to address their present needs?

• Rural education in other nations and continents: What are the primary issues in rural education elsewhere around the globe?

• The sacred and the secular: To what extent do the cultures of rural communities tend toward the sacred vs. the secular, and what effects does this aspect of community culture have on schools?

I invite you to participate in this discussion.

This is my third and last annual meeting as Chair of the Rural Education SIG. I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who have served with me in various capacities in the leadership of the SIG – see list of current officers and
committee chairs later in this newsletter. Thanks also to those who have served in the last three years and have passed their responsibilities on to current officers and committee chairs: Pat Hardre, Kai Schafft, Kathleen Jorissen, Paul Theobald,
and Kristine Reed. All of these people have contributed to the continuing success of our SIG. Thank you!

One of the current areas of need for our SIG is the website. Michael Barbour has served us as webmaster for six years, and has indicated a desire to pass this responsibility on to someone else. Michael has done an outstanding job, as you can see by
going to [ http://ruralsig.blogspot.com/ ]http://ruralsig.blogspot.com/ We now have the opportunity to move our website onto the AERA server, and we need someone to explore that option and decide whether or not that is the best way to move our
website into the future. We also need more people to send items of interest to the webmaster. Would some members be willing to share these responsibilities?

Finally, it is my pleasure to announce the results of the recent election to choose the next chair of our SIG. Kim Jones has been elected to serve a three-year term (2011-2014). Kim completed the EdD at Ohio University, and received the Rural
Education SIG dissertation of the year award (1st place) in 2005. Her study, which was subsequently published in Education Policy Analysis Archives, uncovered significant contextual influences on superintendents’ leadership practices. Previously a
teacher and then middle-school principal, Kim currently serves as superintendent of the Trimble Local School District in Glouster, Ohio, in the Appalachian part of the state. As a lifelong resident of Glouster, she is devoted to her town and its
schools—and to helping sustain them both in the face of threats of either consolidation or state takeover. She’s also devoted to the idea that reading and writing and thinking—and “reading the world”—is a utility in that struggle. Kim will bring a
simultaneously thoughtful and practical approach to sustaining the SIG.

Looking forward to seeing you in New Orleans!

John Maddaus

Chair, Rural Education SIG (2008-2011), and

Associate Professor of Education, University of Maine

207-581-2429

john-dot-maddaus-at-umit-dot-maine-dot-edu

Rural Education SIG Presentations for the Annual Meeting

AERA opens the annual meeting in New Orleans on April 8 and continues through April 12. The theme for this year’s meeting is “Inciting the Social Imagination: Education Research for the Public Good.” The following list of Rural Education
presentations appear in order of date presented.

Rural Education Special Interest Group (SIG) Presentations

1. Current Issues in Rural Education-Paper Session

Beyond Place-Based Education: The Need for a Critical Lens in Rural Classrooms by Amy Azano, University of Virginia.

Debunking the Myth of the Consensus Rural Connumity: Implications for Politics, Policy, and Practice by Erin Carol McHenry-Sorber, The Pennsylvania State University.

Making Rurality Visible on the Educational Policy Landscape: A View from Canada by Michael J. Corbett, Acadia University.

Making the Best of It: Literacy and Learning in a Rural Elementary School by Kely Reffitt, Mercer University.

Time: Sunday, April 10, 8:15am-9:45am; Place: Sheraton, Edgewood.

2. Curriculum and Teaching Issues in Rural Schools-Roundtables

An Investigation into the Curriculum Delivery Challenges Confronting Small Rural High Schools in Newfoundland and Labrador by Dennis M. Mulcahy, Memorial University, Newfoundland.

The Instructional Practice Inventory in Rural Settings: Testing the Student Engagement-Standardized Test Performance Relationship by Jerry Valentine, University of Missouri-Columbia and Justin Collins, University of Missouri.

Understanding Teacher Instructional Decision Making in a Rural Appalachian Head Start Program: An Ethnography by Gretchen D. Butera, Indiana; Amber M. Friesen, Indiana University; and Angela Stone-Macdonald, University of Massachusetts-Boston.

Universal Prekindergarten in Rural New York State: Five Case Studies Highlight Programming in Rural Communities by Hope Casto, Skidmore College; Lisa McCabe, Cornell University; John W. Sipple, Cornell University.

Time: Sunday, April 10, 10am-10:35am; Place: Sheraton, Grand Ballroom D

3. Rural Education SIG Business Meeting

Time: Sunday, April 10, 6:16pm-7:45pm; Place Sheraton, Edgewood

4. Miscellany of Rural Issues-Roundtables

Island of Change: A History of Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School by Kristen L. Kew, New Mexico State University.

One State’s Effort to Support High-Need Rural Districts and Remote Schools by Kathleen M. Budge, Boise State University.

The Role of Context in Preparing and Retaining Highly Effective Educators for High-Need Rural Schools by Katherine J. Mitchem, California University of Pennsylvania and James Burton, California University of Pennsylvania.

The Rural Superintendency and the Need for Critical Leadership of Place by Janeil C. Rey, University of Buffalo-SUNY.

Time: Monday, April 11, 4:05pm-5:35pm; Place: Sheraton, Grand Ballroom A

5. Reconceptualizing Rural-Regional Preservice Teacher Education in Australia-Symposium

Preparing toTeach All Our Children: Teacher Education for Rural and Remote Schools by Jo-Anne Reid, Charles Stuart University and Wendy Joan Hastings, Charles Stuart University.

Reconceptualizing Rural-Regional Preservice Teacher Education in Australia by Graeme Lock, Edith Cowan University.

Teaching and Leading in Remote Schools: Experiences from Western Australia by Graeme Lock, Edith Cowan University.

Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory Reports

Lessons Learned

The Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory has published an article in the Lessons Learned news titled “Leveraging the Unique features of Small, Rural Schools for Improvement.” The author, Steve Nelson, has summarized five important features of
rural schools that educators should consider. His article is located at the following website:
[ http://educationnorthwest.org/webfm_send/1052 ]http://educationnorthwest.org/webfm_send/1052

The Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory has been working with rural schools in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington since 1966. Northwest educators work with schools, districts, and communities and use research based solutions for
difficult problems.

NREA Call for Papers: Annual Conference and

Research Symposium

National Rural Education Association (NREA) will hold the Annual NREA convention October 28 through October 30, 2011. The deadline for submission of proposals for this convention is June 15, 2011. Additionally, the NREA research symposium is held in
conjunction with the convention, and the deadline for submission for papers/proposals to this symposium is the same as the convention, June 15,2011. The best paper will receive the Howard A. Dawson Best Research Paper Award and $500. The recipient
of the award will present the best paper during the Research Symposium. For additional information concerning call and symposium: DS-Mccaw-at-wiu-dot-edu or pchance-at-mail-dot-sdsu-dot-edu .

New Conference offers New Opportunities

Directors of First Annual Conference sponsored by the Scholar-Practitioner Quarterly, have announced conference times and the proposal deadline. As a member of this journal’s advisory board and a member of the Rural Education SIG, Sharon Spall
provides this information to members that may wish to participate. The Conference theme is “Fostering Civic Engagement: Revisiting the Role of the University and Aesthetics as a Language of Possibility,” and conference dates are May 20 and 21 in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at Saint Joseph’s University. The deadline for proposals is April 2, 2011. Papers will be available via website and selected papers will be included in a themed issue of the Scholar-Practitioner Quarterly. For more
information, contact [ mailto:cberenat@sju.edu ]cberenat@sju.edu or 610-660-3352.

NewBook:

Settersten, Richard A., & Ray, Barbara E. (2010) NOT QUITE ADULTS: Why 20-Somethings are Choosing a Slower Path to Adulthood, and Why It’s Good for Everyone. (Random House/Bantam, December 28). For information, see [ http://www.notquiteadults.com
]http://www.notquiteadults.com (can be shared via Facebook or Twitter) The book is based on nearly a decade of research conducted by the MacArthur Research Network on Transitions to Adulthood.

Rural Education Special Interest Group

Officers and Coordinators

Chair (2008-2011):
John Maddaus
University of Maine
5766 Shibles Hall
Orono, ME 04469-5766
207-581-2429
john-dot-maddaus-at-umit-dot-maine-dot-edu

Chair (2011-2014):
Kimberly Jones
Trimble Schools
1 Tomcat Drive
Glouster, OH 45732
740-591-0281
jonesk3-at-ohio-dot-edu

Secretary-Treasurer (2010-2013):
Ruth Heaton
University of Nebraska at Lincoln
5235 S. 75th St.
Lincoln, NE 68516-4351
404-471-1991
rheaton1-at-unl-dot-edu

Program Co-Chair (2009-2012):
Dennis Mulcahy
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3X8
709-737-7917
dmulcahy-at-mun-dot-ca

Program Co-Chair (2010-2013):
Kimberly Cowley
Edvantia, Inc.
1031 Quarrier Street
Charleston, WV 25301
304-347-0418
kim-dot-cowley-at-edvantia-dot-org

Newsletter Editor (began May 2003):
Sharon Spall
University of Western Kentucky
1 Big Red Way, Room 403A
Bowling Green, KY 42101
270-745-5190
sharon-dot-spall-at-wku-dot-edu

Webmaster (began January 2005):
Michael Barbour
Wayne State University
365 Education Building
Detroit, MI 48202
519-979-6497
mkbarbour-at-gmail-dot-com

Outstanding Dissertation Awards Committee Chair (began May 2009):
Caitlin Howley
ICF International
300 Summers St., Suite 600
Charleston, WV 25301
304-541-2641
CHowley-at-icfi-dot-com

Membership Committee Chair (began May 2010):
James Salzman
Ohio University
6925 Gura Road
Athens. OH 45701
740-593-0677
salzman-at-ohio-dot-edu

Nominations Committee Co-Chair (began May 2009):
Jeanne Surface
University of Nebraska at Omaha
414 Kayser Hall
Omaha, NE 68182
402-554-4014
jsurface-at-mail-dot-unomaha-dot-edu

Nominations Committee Co-Chair (Began May 2009):
Craig Howley
Ohio University
75619 Lively Ridge Road
Albany, OH 45710
(no phone listed)
howleyc-at-ohio-dot-edu

An American Educational Research Association List

If you need assistance with this list, please send an email to listadmin-at-aera-dot-net.

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

Call for Articles - AERA Rural Education SIG Newsletter

2011-02-21T14:06:00.002-05:00

Greetings!

Sharon Spall, Editor of the AERA Rural Education SIG Newsletter, is seeking articles, announcements, etc. for the issue of the newsletter preceding the AERA Annual Meeting, April 8-12 in New Orleans. This newsletter issue will be distributed on March 15th. To allow adequate time for preparation of the issue, Sharon requests your contributions by this Friday, March 4th. (Sorry for the short notice for this announcement. I was sick last week.)

Sharon's e-mail address is: sharon-dot-spall-at-wku-dot-edu.

Best wishes,

John

John Maddaus
Chair, Rural Education SIG (2008-2011)
Associate Professor of Education
University of Maine
5766 Shibles Hall
Orono, ME 04469-5766
Phone: 207-581-2429
Fax: 207-581-2423
E-mail: john.maddaus-at-umit-dot-maine-dot-edu

An American Educational Research Association List

If you need assistance with this list, please send an email to listadmin@aera.net.

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: DISSERTATION AWARD IN RURAL EDUCATION

2010-11-18T11:20:00.004-05:00

The AERA SIG in Rural Education seeks to promote and recognize rigorous research among new scholars that can influence policy and practice to improve the educational lives of rural children. The Rural Ed SIG seeks nominations for its 9th Dissertation of the Year Award. The winner of the award will be recognized at the Rural SIG reception at the Annual AERA Meeting in April 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Eligibility: Doctoral dissertations completed between September 1, 2008 and August 31, 2010.

The awards committee will accept nominations from any research tradition in education, sociology, history, and other fields, and in which the rural context is prominent in the conception, research design, execution, conclusions, and recommendations (if any). Dissertations in which the word rural is uncommon are not likely to qualify to be judged. Authors are encouraged to nominate their own works; nomination by another scholar is unnecessary and it is not considered a substantive advantage.

The nomination must include the dissertation author’s current contact information (postal address, phone, email address, current work affiliation, and webpage if any) and the nominee's contact information (if not a self-nomination). In addition, the nomination must provide the name of institution, the relevant academic department, and exact date of the dissertation defense at which the study was accepted.

Please send nominations, an unbound copy of the complete dissertation (title page, text, abstract, reference list) and an electronic version on a CD-ROM by January 15, 2011 to the Award Committee Chair. Materials submitted become the property of the awards committee and cannot be returned to the author or nominator.

Please share this announcement with your colleagues and students!

Award Committee Chair
Caitlin Howley
300 Summers Street, Suite 600
Charleston, West Virginia 25301
304.342.4627
CHowley-dot-icfi-dot-com

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

NREA Research Opportunity

2010-09-25T20:19:00.001-04:00

Sharon, John, Dennis, & Michael,

I am forwarding you some information that I believe AERA Rural SIG members will be interested in. In the upcoming NREA Conference, the Research Symposium portion of this conference will be hosting 2 sessions to design and implement two research projects important to rural education. I hope that you might disseminate this information to AERA Rural SIG members—and encourage their participation in the NREA Research Symposium, to be held October 15-17 in Branson, Missouri. Please see the attachments describing the proposed research topics and the sessions planned to launch cross-state teams to design and carry out this research. This is a great opportunity for those interested in rural education research to come together to carry out important and needed educational research. As well, this forum provides a chance for doctoral students and junior faculty to become involved in a national research project.

For further information about the NREA Conference and Research Symposium, please go to the NREA website, http://www.nrea.net/

Thanks so much for getting this information out. I hope to see you and other AERA members at the conference.

Patti

Patti L. Chance, Ph. D.
Chair and Professor
Department of Educational Leadership
San Diego State University

Attachment:

Connecting Research to Practice

In this session we are inviting practitioners and researchers to join in a discussion about identifying important research questions regarding rural schools, centered on two topics relevant to rural school teachers and administrators: (1) Leadership Development in Rural Schools and (2) Personnel Recruitment, Retention, and Development in Rural Schools.

The purpose of this session is to engage practitioners and researchers in a dialogue to establish a research project to be carried out in the following year regarding each of these topics. The expected outcome of this session is to identify salient questions regarding each of these topics. The session will begin with preliminary questions about these topics. Participants will be asked to help refine essential questions in the expectation of carrying out such research.

If you have interest in either of these topics, either as a researcher or practitioner, we encourage you to attend. Representatives from the U. S. Department of Education and the National Center for Research on Rural Education (R2Ed) will participate in the dialogue associated with this session.

In a follow-up session, researchers, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education and the National Center for Research on Rural Education, will develop a plan for cross-state collaboration in carrying out these research projects in the following year.

Facilitators: Hobart Harmon and Patti Chance

Follow-up Session: Getting Started on the Work—Research to Practice

In this follow-up session, researchers interested in developing and participating in a research study based on one of two topics (Leadership Development in Rural Schools, or Personnel Recruitment, Retention, and Development in Rural Schools) will collaborate to define a research study related to one of these topics.

The expected outcome of this session is to compose a research team for each topic, whose members will commit to developing and implementing the tentatively designed study. Team members will continue collaboration following the conference through virtual tools and participate in a multi-state collaborative research project as initiated in this session. Staff of the National Center for Research on Rural Education will contribute to this session by providing information regarding the Center’s possible support role in assisting each research team. Representatives from the U.S. Department of Education will participate in the discussions surrounding the research design for each study.

Facilitators: Patti Chance (Leadership Development in Rural Schools) & Hobart Harmon (Personnel Recruitment, Retention, and Development in Rural Schools)

Tags: NREA, AERA, small schools, rural, education

REL-Midwest - The Virtual Algebra Study: Impact of Offering an Online Algebra I Course to Eighth Graders With No Local Access

2010-08-04T11:55:00.002-04:00

The first session of the afternoon at the REL-Midwest: Online Learning Opportunities For Rural Schools event was "The Virtual Algebra Study: Impact of Offering an Online Algebra I Course to Eighth Graders With No Local Access" by Peggy Clements of the REL Northeast and Islands at Education Development Center.

Peggy began her session by describing that her results are still not approved for release (see NRCRES Conference: Increasing Rural 8th Graders’ Access to Algebra I: Is Online Education An Effective Alternative? for an earlier entry roughly the same as this one), so she won't be providing any findings but will be discussing the study - particularly the nature of the intervention. As much of this was reported in the previous entry, I'll just include additional comments here.

One of the things that Peggy did clarify was that the focus of the study was not to compare student performance between face-to-face and online students. It was focused on expand access to students who wouldn't otherwise have access to Algebra I in grade 8 (for the students that were ready to take algebra).

As a reminder, the primary research questions were:

What is the impact of offering Algebra I online to AR students on their end-of-eighth grade algebra achievement?
What is the impact of offering Algebra I online to AR students on their subsequent high school course taking?

The secondary research questions:

What is the impact of offering Algebra I online to AR students on the N-AR students mathematics achievement?
What is the impact of offering Algebra I online to AR students on the n-AR students subsequent high school course taking?
What is the impact of offering Algebra I online to AR students on the AR general mathematics achievement?

This study was a randomized control trial, where the following groups existed:

control - both groups received regular grade 8 mathematics course
- students identified by the school as algebra ready
- students identified by the school as not being algebra ready
treatment
- students identified by the school as algebra ready - received the online Algebra 1 course
- students identified by the school as not being algebra ready - received regular grade 8 mathematics course

Peggy than began to describe the nature of the online Algebra I course - which was asynchronous, self-paced, with the presence of a school-based proctor. This set-up resulted in 80% of the students being in the back of the classroom, during the regular grade 8 mathematics class with the regular mathematics teacher being the proctor (and teaching the regular grade 8 math class during this time). The course was a Class.com course, taught by a teacher in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The remainder of the presentation was looking at samples of the online Algebra I course. It was basically a model where students would read through an online, interactive textbook or they could view an interactive chalkboard that provided a narrated worked example. After reviewing these items, students would complete practice and exploratory activities, along with graded assignments based on open-ended prompts and then graded multiple-choice quizzes.

The results are expected to be reported in Spring 2011.

This entry is re-posted at REL-Midwest - The Virtual Algebra Study: Impact of Offering an Online Algebra I Course to Eighth Graders With No Local Access on Virtual School Meanderings.

REL-Midwest - Enhancing Instruction In Rural Schools

2010-08-04T11:16:00.002-04:00

The third session at the REL-Midwest: Online Learning Opportunities For Rural Schools event was a response to Matt's keynote presentation by:

Nancy Burns, Superintendent, West Salem School District

Dawn Nordine, Director, Wisconsin Virtual School and CESA 9 Instructional Technology

Annette Walaszek, Teacher, Wisconsin Virtual School

Their response was entitled "Enhancing Instruction In Rural Schools".

Dawn was the first practitioner to respond to Matt's presentation. She began by highlighting the reasons why students in Wisconsin are enrolled in K-12 online learning experiences (and she also gave a big plug for iNACOL here - as I believe the slide was taken from content found, or often used, by that organization). She continued with the standards "equal or better" lines. She did present some interesting statistics about the Wisconsin Virtual School:

60% of students are enrolled in rural districts

83% are between the ages of 16 and 18 years old

170 school districts accessed courses through WVS in 2009-10

top reason students take the online course is because it is not offered in their school

average grade in 2009-10 was 84%

average time spent in the course was 121 days

number of hours spent per week in the course was 6-7 hours

She then discussed a study that they conducted with nine of their Local Education Guides (LEGs) from 2006 to 2008. They also found that the role of the school-based or local teacher was a critical role, and Dawn provided a series of quotes that were representative of the strategies that these LEGs used to keep students motivated in their online courses. Many of their training materials are available on their website (look for a LEG Resource link).

Nancy was the next person to speak. She began with A LOT of her own personal history in rural education and online learning. In fact, most of Nancy's discussion was a history of rural education and online learning through her personal involvement.

The responses finished with Annette, who also gave a personal story - although more focused on a specific program... A blended experience in the Algoma School District, which came about when Annette only had a single student in her AP Physics student. In the end, after the guidance counselor was about to rope another three students into the course, the district created a program with a total of 24 students - 4 students at Algoma and 20 students from around the state. The remainder of her comments provided details about this blended program how she managed it, what the student success was, and her perceived advantaged and challenged with the program.

This entry is re-posted at REL-Midwest - Enhancing Instruction In Rural Schools on Virtual School Meanderings.

REL-Midwest - Rural Distance Learning Project: Overview of Research And Findings

2010-08-04T11:08:00.002-04:00

The second session at the REL-Midwest: Online Learning Opportunities For Rural Schools event was a keynote presentation by Matt Irvin of the National Research Center on Rural Education Support on "Rural Distance Learning Project: Overview of Research And Findings".

He began with some of the same rural issues that Doris had mentioned, although with a focus on the small student populations limiting funding and course selection, along with the inability to attract and retain high quality teachers. While distance education can be used as a way to address some of these issues, there are some challenges for the use of distance education in the K-12 environment (including isolationism, lack of interaction, high drop-out rate).

He then moved to a discussion of the rural education education survey that they conducted in 2005-06. The survey included 400 randomly selected school districts, including 10% that qualified for the Small Rural School Achievement program and 10% that qualified for the Rural Low Income School program, and had a 95% participation rate. Some of the results included:

85% of school districts had used or were using distance education
- 69% currently using distance education
- 16% previously used distance education but had stopped
  - limited student interest
  - time scheduling issues
  - lack of support personnel
81% were using it to offer advanced-level courses
- 35% using it for foreign language
- 12% for algebra
students were very well prepared - both by there computer skills (77%), academic background (50%), and study skills (28%)
most common barriers
- district barriers - not need for curriculum requirements, funding, not being a district priority
- logistical barriers - scheduling, and difficult to implement
- personnel barriers - not trained to support distance education or not available to support distance education

Matt then moved on to a discussion of the Enhancing Rural Online Learning project and the actual intervention or training that was created for the school-based facilitator. The study itself was a 2 year cluster randomized controlled trial that included:

2007-08 (Year 1) - 37 schools and 246 students
2008-09 (Year 2) - 56 schools and 463 students

The study thus far has found that the program reduced drop-out rate (i.e., student in an individual course and schools leaving the distance program), but did not appear to affect student learning. Based on the qualitative data, the teachers felt that the presence of a facilitator was crucial. The facilitators reported that the main challenges were with the students enrolled in AP courses (e.g., rigor of the course and grading, lack of face-to-face communication, and lack of immediate feedback from online instruction). Finally, the facilitators were positive towards the Facilitator Preparation Program, indicating that they were very, very helpful - as it clarified their role and need to actively support students.

This entry is re-posted at REL-Midwest - Rural Distance Learning Project: Overview of Research And Findings on Virtual School Meanderings.

REL-Midwest – Framing the Conversation: Enhancing the Educational Outcomes of Rural Children Through Distance Learning and Technology

2010-08-04T10:55:00.003-04:00

So, the first session at the REL-Midwest: Online Learning Opportunities For Rural Schools event was a discussion on the topic "Framing the Conversation: Enhancing the Educational Outcomes of Rural Children Through Distance Learning and Technology" that began with some comments by Doris Terry Williams, the Director of Capacity Building for the Rural School and Community Trust.

Doris began with some quick facts about rural education.

19.4% of all students attend at rural school
10, 572, 790 students and counting (rural school enrollment is actually increasing)
32.3% of public elementary and secondary schools are designates as rural
- range from 9.5% of all schools in New Jersey are rural to 97+% in South Dakota
- 15 states have 50% or more of their schools designated as rural
rural students have higher graduation rates
- 70% overall in rural districts
- 67% in all districts
- 60% in the poorest rural districts
less per pupil funding for rural districts
- $9,611 in non-rural districts
- $8,134 in rural districts
and many others that skipped across the screen before I was able to type them

Many of the points that I missed dealt with the connection between rural education and educating lower socio-economic status students.

On one of the final slides, entitled "Bottom Line..." it read:

Rural students, like all others, are entitled to a quality education- even if their local communities cannot afford or don't have the will to provide it.

Appropriate use of technology and distance education is one means of ensuring that they have greater access.

At that stage, the moderator introduced Matt Irvin of the National Research Center on Rural Education Support (and I'll discuss his keynote in my next blog entry).

This entry is re-posted at REL-Midwest – Framing the Conversation: Enhancing the Educational Outcomes of Rural Children Through Distance Learning and Technology on Virtual School Meanderings.

REL-Midwest: Online Learning Opportunities For Rural Schools

2010-08-04T09:12:00.002-04:00

A reminder that Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) - Midwest pre-conference event focused on Online Learning Opportunities for Rural Schools is being held today and I will be blogging about all of the sessions (except my own, which I hope to record and podcast later). Again, I'll disclose here that I am one of the keynote speakers at this REL-Midwest event. The sessions they have organized include:

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

8:30−9:15 a.m. Registration

9:15–9:30 a.m. Welcome and Introductions

Matt Dawson, Ph.D., Director, REL Midwest at Learning Point Associates
9:30–11:00 a.m. Framing the Conversation: Enhancing the Educational Outcomes of Rural Children Through Distance Learning and Technology

Moderator: Doris Terry Williams, Ph.D., Director of Capacity Building for the Rural School and Community Trust

Presenter: Matt Irvin, Ph.D., National Research Center on Rural Education Support

Commentators:

Nancy Burns, Superintendent, West Salem School District

Dawn Nordine, Director, Wisconsin Virtual School and CESA 9 Instructional Technology

Annette Walaszek, Teacher, Wisconsin Virtual School
11:00–11:30 a.m. Collaborative Discussion With Panel

11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Lunch

1:00–2:00 p.m. The Virtual Algebra Study: Impact of Offering an Online Algebra I Course to Eighth Graders With No Local Access

Keynote Presenter: Peggy Clements, Ph.D., REL Northeast and Islands at Education Development Center
2:00–2:45 p.m. Rural K–12 Students’ Learning in Virtual School Environments

Keynote Presenter: Michael K. Barbour, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in Instructional Technology, Wayne State University
2:45–3:00 p.m. Break

3:00–3:45 p.m. Reflections and Connections

3:45–4:15 p.m. Sharing Connections and Concluding Remarks

Presenters:

Dr. Matt Irvin, National Research Center on Rural Education Support

Dr. Peggy Clements, REL Northeast and Islands

Dr. Michael Barbour, Wayne State University
4:15 p.m. Adjournment

This entry has been cross-posted at REL-Midwest: Online Learning Opportunities For Rural Schools on Virtual School Meanderings.

National Rural Education Technology Summit, Wed, July 21, 2010

2010-07-15T16:44:00.001-04:00

This was posted in one of the iNACOL forums earlier today.

NATIONAL RURAL EDUCATION
TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT

PLEASE JOIN…

U. S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution G. Wayne Clough engage experts in Education and Industry at a
National Rural Education Technology Summit.

WHEN AND WHERE: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 at the National Museum of the American Indian, 4th Street and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC.

PURPOSE: The U.S. Department of Education and the Smithsonian Institution will convene experts in education and technology to share innovative practices and effective models for improving teaching and learning in rural schools. The presentations and discussions will focus on how rural schools can use technology to overcome the challenges of distance and isolation, while capitalizing on the positive opportunities in rural areas.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES: On Tuesday, July 20, the Smithsonian will offer behind-the-scenes tours of its most popular museums and host a reception at the National Museum of Natural History. Details on the tours and reception will be provided upon your registration.

Due to meeting space constraints, attendance is limited to the first 170 registrants.

TO REGISTER FOR THE SUMMIT go to http://www.fsaregistration.ed.gov/profile/...ID=0x464608d766

HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS: A special rate of $170 per night, plus tax (14.5%) has been arranged at the following hotels and will be honored until July 6, 2010.

Courtyard Washington DC/U.S. Capitol (Closest to the National Museum of the American Indian)
1325 2nd Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
www.marriott.com/wasus

Make reservations by calling 888-236-2427 or 202-898-4000,conference code: US Department of Education July Room Block.

OR

L’Enfant Plaza Hotel (limited number of rooms available)
480 L'Enfant Plaza, SW
Washington, DC 20024
www.lenfantplazahotel.com Make reservations by CTRL+CLICK HERE FOR L'ENFANT RESERVATION

Conference/booking code: DOEJ20 under the group name: U.S. Dept of Educ - Ntl Rural Tech Mtg.

Questions about the Summit can be emailed to Special.Events@ed.gov.

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education, iNACOL, conferences

Rural Education Book

2010-07-13T18:13:00.003-04:00

This showed up in my inbox a day or two ago, and I agree with Kai - I believe it is of interest to our SIG members.

Hey Mike,

This book has just been released through Penn State Press. Might you be able to post some sort of announcement about it on the Blog?

http://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-03682-3.html

Many thanks – much appreciated!! I think it will be of interest to the SIG.

kai

Kai A. Schafft
Director, Center on Rural Education and Communities
Editor, Journal of Research in Rural Education (www.jrre.psu.edu)
Penn State University

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

Special Issue - Learning To Leave: The Irony Of Schooling In A Coastal Community

2010-07-11T14:32:00.001-04:00

About a year ago, the Journal of Research in Rural Education hosted a special issue (that I had suggested to the editor during the Rural Education Special Interest Group's business meeting at the annual meeting of the American Education Research Association about a year earlier). The special issue was focused on Michael Corbett's book, Learning to Leave: The Irony of Schooling in a Coastal Community, an ethnography examining the impact of education on a rural, fishing community in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The special issue begins with Michael's journal article summary of his findings in Learning to Leave: The Irony of Schooling in a Coastal Community, along with his reflections on those findings since the original publication of the book. This article is followed by other articles from scholars in a variety of rural contexts, reflecting upon Michael's book (and article) in their own rural environments. The special issue ends with a commentary or response from Michael to the other authors. All of these articles are listed below:

M. Corbett - Rural Schooling in Mobile Modernity: Returning to the Places I've Been
A. Woodrum - Cultural Identity and Schooling in Rural New Mexico
S. Faircloth - Re-visioning the Future of Education for Native Youth in Rural Schools and Communities
D. Greenwood - Place, Survivance, and White Remembrance: A Decolonizing Challenge to Rural Education in Moile Modernity
U. Kelly - Learning to Lose: Rurality, Transience, and Belonging (A Companion to Michael Corbett)
M. Corbett - Assimilation, Resistance, Rapprochement, and Loss: Response to Woodrum, Faircloth, Greenwood, and Kelly

I highlight this special issue here because I am often asked about my research agenda or the focus of my research. I generally respond something to the effect of that I have an interest in the effective design and delivery online learning to K-12 students in virtual school environments, particularly those in rural jurisdictions. I always add the "particularly those in rural jurisdictions" because my first teaching position was in a rural jurisdiction - very much like the one Michael describes in his book and the original article in this special issue.

This entry is crossposted as Special Issue - Learning To Leave: The Irony Of Schooling In A Coastal Community on Virtual School Meanderings.

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

EdWeek Rural Blog

2010-07-06T11:25:00.003-04:00

Education Week now has a blog devoted to rural education issues. It's written by Mary Schulken who previously covered rural education in North Carolina for two daily newspapers.

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

AERA Rural Education SIG - Monthly Stats Report 1 Jun - 30 Jun 2010

2010-07-01T10:41:00.000-04:00

Monthly Stats Report: 1 Jun - 30 Jun 2010
Project: AERA Rural Education SIG
URL: http://ruralsig.blogspot.com

	Page Loads	Unique Visitors	First Time Visitors	Returning Visitors
Total	197	165	149	16
Average	7	6	5	1

Date	Page Loads	Unique Visitors	First Time Visitors	Returning Visitors
Tue, 1 Jun	4	4	4	0
Wed, 2 Jun	8	5	4	1
Thu, 3 Jun	5	4	4	0
Fri, 4 Jun	1	1	1	0
Sat, 5 Jun	3	3	3	0
Sun, 6 Jun	8	7	7	0
Mon, 7 Jun	6	6	6	0
Tue, 8 Jun	6	6	6	0
Wed, 9 Jun	9	7	6	1
Thu, 10 Jun	4	3	3	0
Fri, 11 Jun	4	4	4	0
Sat, 12 Jun	5	4	4	0
Sun, 13 Jun	2	2	2	0
Mon, 14 Jun	5	5	3	2
Tue, 15 Jun	13	8	6	2
Wed, 16 Jun	5	4	3	1
Thu, 17 Jun	13	12	12	0
Fri, 18 Jun	12	8	7	1
Sat, 19 Jun	3	3	3	0
Sun, 20 Jun	4	4	3	1
Mon, 21 Jun	8	8	7	1
Tue, 22 Jun	6	5	5	0
Wed, 23 Jun	22	20	17	3
Thu, 24 Jun	6	4	4	0
Fri, 25 Jun	4	4	3	1
Sat, 26 Jun	0	0	0	0
Sun, 27 Jun	8	4	4	0
Mon, 28 Jun	10	7	6	1
Tue, 29 Jun	5	5	5	0
Wed, 30 Jun	8	8	7	1

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

Now Open - 2011 AERA Annual Meeting Call for Submissions and Volunteer Chair and Discussant

2010-06-20T10:29:00.000-04:00

Dear AERA Members,

I am writing to encourage you to participate in the 2011 AERA Annual Meeting to be held Friday, April 8 – Tuesday, April 12 in New Orleans, LA. Kris D. Gutiérrez, AERA President and Joanne Larson, Chair, 2011 Program Committee are pleased to announce this year’s Annual Meeting Theme: “Inciting the Social Imagination: Education Research for the Public Good.” Now is the time to advance a paper or session submission for consideration by a division, special interest group, or committee and to volunteer as a chair or discussant.

Deadline for Paper and Session Submissions is July 15
Please review the Call for Submissions as it contains important information about this year’s Annual Meeting theme and submission requirements. Please login to advance a paper or session submission. As introduced last year, please again pay special attention to the six elements that must be addressed in the narrative paper submissions even if the results, conclusions, or findings are not complete or final at the time of the submission.

Also, please indicate your preferred type of session and willingness to present in alternative formats at the time of submission. The roundtable format introduced at the 2010 Annual Meeting was very well received. I encourage you to consider presenting in this format, as well as the poster session format, both of which allow for greater interaction than a paper session.

Volunteer to Serve as a Chair or Discussant by August 31
Please review the Call for Volunteer Session Chairs and Discussants and consider volunteering. Please login to volunteer as a chair or discussant. The quality of the AERA Annual Meeting depends on education researchers with appropriate expertise who serve as chairs and discussants for paper sessions and roundtables.

Please contact the Meetings Team at annualmtg@aera.net or (202) 238-3200 with any questions and I look forward to your participation in an enriching 2011 Annual Meeting.

Kind regards,

Laurie Cipriano, CMP
Director of Meetings

American Educational Research Association
1430 K Street, NW
Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20005

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

VSM Podcast – AERA 2010: Duck And Cover: Are Rural Students Taking Basic Courses To Avoid Taking Them Online?

2010-06-18T09:08:00.000-04:00

AERA 2010: Duck And Cover: Are Rural Students Taking Basic Courses To Avoid Taking Them Online?

Also note this entry is crossposted as VSM Podcast – AERA 2010: Duck And Cover: Are Rural Students Taking Basic Courses To Avoid Taking Them Online? at Virtual School Meanderings.

VSM Podcast – AERA 2010: Duck And Cover: Are Rural Students Taking Basic Courses To Avoid Taking Them Online? Introduction

2010-06-18T09:05:00.002-04:00

The May 2010 podcast is a recording of the first presentation that I made at the AERA 2010 conference, and was also the third Sunday session related to K-12 online learning. It was described in the program as:

Scheduled Time: Mon, May 3 – 10:35am – 12:05pm Building/Room: Sheraton Denver / Grand Ballroom Section 2
In Session Submission: Rural Education SIG: Roundtable 7

Authors: *Dennis M. Mulcahy (Memorial University – Newfoundland)
*Michael Kristopher Barbour (Wayne State University)

Abstract: As out-migration ravages rural regions in Newfoundland and Labrador, more schools are relying upon virtual schooling to offer courses students require to graduate. There are concerns that virtual schooling has been shown to be an effective alternative, primarily, for a select group of students. However, with a wider range of students forced into this largely independent learning environment, data from Ministry of Education reports indicate that rural schools who rely upon the CDLI for their required course offering have a substantially higher than average enrollment in basic level courses. If the reason for this is due to students trying to avoid online courses, significant changes are required in the design, delivery and support of the province’s virtual school.

As always, the actual podcast is in the entry that immediately follows this one.

Note that this entry and the actual podcast are backdated to the time of the event.

Also note this entry is crossposted as VSM Podcast – AERA 2010: Duck And Cover: Are Rural Students Taking Basic Courses To Avoid Taking Them Online? Introduction at Virtual School Meanderings.

Creating Rural Connections 2010

2010-05-13T08:33:00.001-04:00

I came across this through an entry entitled spring conferences on the blog Alberta Distributed Education and Technology Association. It was a notice for Creating Rural Connections 2010, the annual conference of the Alberta Rural Development Network.

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

Article - Inquiry-based learning and e-mentoring via videoconference: a study of mathematics and science learning of Canadian rural students

2010-05-12T10:30:00.000-04:00

I guess this is turning into a full week of me cleaning out my RSS reader. This one from Educational Technology Research and Development:

Inquiry-based learning and e-mentoring via videoconference: a study of mathematics and science learning of Canadian rural students
In Educational Technology Research and Development

Abstract
This research seeks to (1) establish a feasible development and implementation model for an inquiry-based learning environment with e-mentoring using videoconference, and (2) apply the model to examine its impact on rural students’ learning. To achieve these goals, we developed a model of inquiry-based learning with e-mentoring (IBLE) based on CII’s inquiry model (Community Informatics Initiative 2009; http://inquiry.uiuc.edu/). We then tested the effectiveness of the IBLE model and reported our work in a rural context. Results showed that IBLE had enhanced students’ learning, most significantly on their affective development, including increased motivation, broadened understanding, and augmented career awareness. Implications for design and limitations of the study are also discussed.
Content Type Journal Article
Category Development Article
DOI 10.1007/s11423-010-9156-3
Authors
Qing Li, EDT, University of Calgary 2500 University Dr. NW Calgary AB Canada
Lynn Moorman, University of Calgary Calgary AB Canada
Patti Dyjur, University of Calgary Calgary AB Canada
Journal Educational Technology Research and Development
Online ISSN 1556-6501
Print ISSN 1042-1629

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

Article - Educational Priorities and Capacity: A Rural Perspective

2010-05-11T10:28:00.000-04:00

And another from cleaning out my RSS reader. This one from Canadian Journal of Education/Revue canadienne de l'éducation:

Educational Priorities and Capacity: A Rural Perspective
Dawn C. Wallin & Laura Reimer

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

Article - A visit to a rural preschool in China

2010-05-10T10:23:00.000-04:00

As I continue to clean out my RSS reader, another article notice via "journals" via Doug Holton in Google Reader that may be of interest:

A visit to a rural preschool in China
By (author unknown)

Abstract During a visit to a rural kindergarten (preschool) in China, children were observed in activities that integrated their learning with the lives of their families and their village, focusing on different types of plants being grown and harvested in the fields. Although many aspects of the program do not meet standards used in developed countries, the ability of the teacher to plan and conduct large group activities was admirable and the children displayed many positive behaviors.
Content Type Journal Article
DOI 10.1007/BF03174660
Authors
Kathleen Sparkes, Onondaga Community College Early Childhood Education Program Syracuse New York
Journal International Journal of Early Childhood
Online ISSN 1878-4658
Print ISSN 0020-7187
Journal Volume Volume 22
Journal Issue Volume 22, Number 2 / September, 1990

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

Article - Teaching in the Yukon: Exploring teachers’ efficacy beliefs, stress, and job satisfaction in a remote setting

2010-05-09T10:20:00.001-04:00

This came through my RSS reader last week via "journals" via Doug Holton in Google Reader :

Teaching in the Yukon: Exploring teachers’ efficacy beliefs, stress, and job satisfaction in a remote setting

By (author unknown)

Publication year: 2010
Source: International Journal of Educational Research, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 5 May 2010
Robert M., Klassen , Rosemary Y., Foster , Sukaina, Rajani , Carley, Bowman
This article presents a mixed methods examination of teachers’ job beliefs in the Yukon Territory in northern Canada. In Study 1 we used questionnaires to examine job beliefs for 221 teachers from the Yukon and western Canada. Teachers’ self- and collective efficacy and workload stress were lower for Yukon teachers, but levels of overall stress and satisfaction were similar across settings. In Study 2 we conducted interviews to examine how geographical, community, and cultural factors were related to Yukon teachers’ job beliefs. Results showed that job stress and job satisfaction were influenced by physical and human geography, level of connection...

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

AERA 2010 - Online Distance Education In Rural High Schools: Expanding The Role Of The On-Site Facilitator

2010-05-03T15:33:00.000-04:00

The second session on K-12 online learning that I had outlined for Monday at the AERA 2010 conference was:

Scheduled Time: Mon, May 3 – 10:35am – 12:05pm Building/Room: Sheraton Denver / Grand Ballroom Section 2
In Session Submission: Rural Education SIG: Roundtable 7

Online Distance Education in Rural High Schools: Expanding the Role of the On-Site Facilitator
Authors: *Julie Thompson Keane (University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill)
*Matthew J. Irvin (University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill)
Claire de la Varre (UNC-Chapel Hill)
Wallace Hannum (University of North Carolina)

Abstract: The main objective of this study was to provide a richer and more detailed understanding of facilitators’ experiences and explore the effect of an intervention to improve the support facilitators provide rural students taking an advanced online course. Little research has examined key factors in online distance education, how to improve outcomes, or has involved rural secondary schools. This is noteworthy as dropout rates are typically higher in online courses and rural schools more often use such courses. We identified important themes and experiences in facilitators’ role that may inform future practices and began to clarify the effect of our intervention. Additional findings and connections between results, the intervention, and support for rural youth in online courses will be provided.

Like the previous session, I was presenting while this session was happening (and I'll be making a podcast of this second Monday roundtable of mine too) - but as luck would have it these folks were presenting in the same session, so we were at the same table.

This paper was a part of the larger study that Matt and his colleagues have been doing at the National Research Center for Rural Education Support in North Carolina. The project was looking at the training of school-based facilitators who were supporting virtual school students at rural schools. In the quantitative data, they had found that in the control group (i.e., where facilitators weren’t trained) there was a 70% drop-out rate, whereas in the treatment group (i.e., where facilitators had received their training) had a drop-out rate of only 40%. This particular paper focused on the qualitative data they have been collecting.

One of the main themes that came out was the rigor of the courses – particularly the Advanced Placement curriculum, which essentially scared the students out of the courses.

Another one of the main themes related to the facilitators positive views towards the scenarios that the NRCRES developed. Essentially these were cases that focused on issues that students might experience in a virtual school environment to help prepare the teachers for what their students might have to go through.

A third theme was the students concerns with their grades. As many of the students were the higher achieving students, they did not want anything that would potentially jeopardize their academic standing within the school and for their educational futures.

Another issue that came up related to notions of time management and helping students develop strategies for better structure and managing of their time.

Finally, there was a theme related to the benefits of virtual school – which was primarily related to the ability to enroll in some of these advanced-level or Advanced Placement courses that had never been offered at their local schools. There were also some comments related to personal growth, preparation for potential online studies they might have to take in post-secondary.

Note this entry is crossposted as AERA 2010 – Online Distance Education In Rural High Schools: Expanding The Role Of The On-Site Facilitator at Virtual School Meanderings.

Rural Education SIG Newsletter

2010-04-30T22:43:00.001-04:00

MY APOLOGIES FOR THE DELAYED NEWSLETTER! -
I HOPE TO SEE YOU AT THE BUSINESS MEETING THIS SUNDAY EVENING (Details below)

RURAL EDUCATION
A Special Interest Group Affiliated with the
American Educational Research Association

Vol. 8, Issue 1-------Spring 2010

Letter from the Rural Education SIG Chair

Greetings Everyone!
I am very excited to invite you to participate in the Rural Education SIG sessions we have scheduled at AERA this year! As always, I expect these presentations will be engaging and thought-provoking. This year, our SIG’s sessions begin on Saturday
afternoon, May 1, and conclude on Tuesday afternoon, May 4. I encourage you to create your schedule and include these sessions in your plans! I would like to thank our program co-chairs, Pat Hardre and Dennis Mulcahy, for all their work in creating
our fine program, as well as those anonymous reviewers who took the time to carefully consider all the proposals that were submitted.

I would like to thank all of the Rural Education SIG officers for their work, and refer you to their articles elsewhere in this issue of our newsletter. I would especially like to thank Pat Hardre, who is stepping down after having
co-chaired the program committee for four years, and Kathleen Jorissen, our Secretary/Treasurer, who has served our SIG in this capacity for six years. Thanks also to Kristine Reed, our Membership Coordinator; and Michael Barbour, our website
manager. And once again, thanks to Sharon Spall for her work editing this newsletter!

I’m please to welcome two new officers of our SIG. Kim Cowley has been elected to a three-year term as Program Co-Chair, and will be serving with Dennis Mulcahy for the next two years. And Ruth Heaton has been elected to a three-year term as
Secretary-Treasurer. Thanks to Kim and Ruth for agreeing to serve in these capacities, and to Jeanne Surface and Craig Howley for serving as the Nominating Committee co-chairs. Thanks to Jeanne’s and Craig’s efforts, our first online election of SIG
officers was carried out smoothly. They have agreed to serve in this capacity for a second year.

I would also like to congratulate our Outstanding Dissertation Award winners: Elyse Pratt-Ronco, Karen Eppley, and Thomas Butler! And thanks to Caitlin Howley, who chaired the awards committee, and to the other members of the awards
committee for reviewing the dissertations that were submitted.

I especially want to invite you to attend our Rural Education SIG business meeting, which will be held Sunday evening, May 2, 6:15-7:45pm in the Sheraton / Plaza Court 3 room. As many of us learned last year in San Diego, AERA is going
through a number of very significant changes, one of which is a requirement that every SIG have written by-laws that follow a template developed by the SIG Executive Committee. While there are some choices available to SIGs (for example, deciding
what offices the SIG should have), there are other ways in which all SIGs must operate the same (e.g., using the online elections system for the election of officers). As I have been working with the AERA Central Office to develop draft by-laws for
the consideration and ultimately vote of the SIG membership, I’ve wondered whether the ways in which o ur SIG has operated in the past were simply matters of convenience, or whether there were good reasons for our SIG to be somewhat different from
other SIGs. Another (more present and futur
e oriented) way to think about it is to ask the question, Are there distinctively RURAL ways to promote research in RURAL education? Should the ways that our SIG goes about its work be in any way a reflection of the rural contexts in which we do our
research?

The First Draft of our By-laws that I submitted to the AERA Central Office at the end of 2009 has been on our SIG web page since early December. See [ http://ruralsig.blogspot.com/2009_12_01_archive.html
]http://ruralsig.blogspot.com/2009_12_01_archive.html The Second Draft of the By-laws, as revised by the Central Office to reflect SIG Executive Committee requirements, is posted on our SIG web site - [ http://ruralsig.blogspot.com/
]http://ruralsig.blogspot.com/ - as well. I’ll also prepare a brief summary of changes to share at the business meeting. Among other business, we’ll have an opportunity to discuss the By-laws, which will be coming up for a vote at some point,
probably in the coming 12 months.

Following the business meeting, it is our practice to go out to dinner together, with the SIG covering a part of the cost. I hope you will consider joining us if you are able. I would also welcome any suggestions of restaurants we could go
to, from anyone more familiar with Denver than I am.

I look forward to seeing you in Denver!

John Maddaus, Chair

Rural Ed SIG Honors Dissertations

The chair of the dissertation award committee, Caitlin Howley, has announced the Rural Education SIG recipients for 2010. Reviewers of all the entries have selected:
1st Prize: Dr. Elyse Pratt-Ronco. Adolescents Living in Rural Poverty: Success, Resilience, and Barriers to Social Mobility, Boston College.

2nd Prize: Dr. Karen Eppley. Friction, Fiction, and Failure: Scientifically Based Research and the Rural, The Pennsylvania State University.

3rd Prize: Dr. Thomas Butler. Rural Schools and Communities: How Globalization Influences Rural School and Community Collaboration, The Pennsylvania State University.

Caitlin Howley will present the awards at the Rural Education SIG business meeting at 6:16pm-7:45pm on Sunday, May 2, 2010.

Rural Educators Propose AERA Regional Conference

Ohio University, The Rural School and Community Trust, and the Rural Education SIG are submitting a proposal under AERA’s regional conference program. Lead scholar on the local team is Jim Saltzman who is assisted by his colleagues John Hitchcock,
Jerry Johnson, Aimee Howley, and Craig Howley. Education scholars from around the country will be involved and these invitations are underway. Participants must produce papers that fully engage the focus of the conference.

The proposal argues that mixed and underused methods hold arguable promise for engaging the practical challenges implicit in rural variability. The conference will explore the related issues and applications. Organizers expect the conference, if
funded, to yield a publishable book manuscript; an update will appear in the next Rural Education Newsletter. AERA provides approximately $50,000 for conferences such as this. Craig Howley sees this as a rare opportunity and praises Jim Saltzman for
pulling it all together.

Research Study Needs Volunteer Participants

In affiliation with The Pennsylvania State University, a study that investigates the perspectives of rural educators needs volunteer participants. The topic explores how sex educators create environments, which are inclusive to sexual minority
students. The participants will contribute to focus groups via online during a two-week period. Participants can select convenient times to respond. Please contact Jennifer deCoste at [ mailto:jud7@psu.edu ]jud7@psu.edu if you can be an online,
focus group participant.

Program Chairs Announce Rural Sig 2010 Sessions

The program chairs, Patricia Hardre and Dennis Mulcahy, have posted the sessions for the Rural Education Special Interest Group at the 2010 annual American Educational Research Association Meeting. The following list presents the sessions in order
of presentation.

SATURDAY, May 1

10:35am-12:05pm, Sheraton Denver/Grand Ballroom Section2
Roundtable Session 12
Chair Andrea L. Tyler, Miami University of Ohio

Mapping Rural Student Mobility in Central United States-Andrea D. Beesley, Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning, Laurie Moore, Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning, and Sarah Gopalani, Mid-Continent Research for Education
and Learning.

Rural Education Issues: Rural Administrators Speak Out-Gerry Nieregarten, University of Minnesota-Duluth, Julia M. Williams, University of Minnesota-Duluth, Kim Riordan, University of Minnesota-Duluth.

Receptivity Toward Immigrants in Rural Pennsylvania: Perceptions of Adult English as a Second Language Providers-Blaire Wilson Toso, The Pennsylvania State University and Esther Prins, The Pennsylvania State University.

The Challenges of Using a Network to Improve Rural Schools in Alaska-Alexandra R. Hill, The University of Alaska-Anchorage and Diane B. Hirshberg, The University of Alaska-Anchorage.

Stress and the Administrator of Rural Schools Being Rebuilt-Lee J. Lesisko, Pleasant Valley School District and Robert J. Wright, Widener University.

12:25pm-1:55, Sheraton Denver, Governor’s Square 9
Symposium
Educational Practice and Rural Social Space: A Symposium
Discussants: Simone White, Deakin University and David A. Greenwood Washington State University
Chair: Paul G. Theobald, Buffalo State University

Rural Literacies: Storying a Community-Michael J. Corbett, Acadia University and Ann Brothwell Vibert, Acadia University.

Understanding Complex Ecologies in a Changing World-Jo-Anne Reid, Charles Sturt University, Bill Green, Charles Sturt University, and Maxine C. Cooper, University of Ballarat.

Education for Bioregional Understanding and Resilience-Leo Elshof, Acadia University.

Education and Rural-Regional Sustainability-Bill Green, Charles Sturt University.

4:05pm-5:35, Sheraton Denver/Grand Ballroom Section 2
Roundtable session 20
Chair: John Maddaus, University of Maine

A Governor’s Final Days in Office: A Confluence of Problematic Policies for Rural Schools-Erin Carol McHenry-Sorber, The Pennsylvania State University.

Becoming a Teacher and Staying One: Examining the Complex Ecologies Associated with Educating and Retaining New Teachers in Rural Australia-Margaret M. Plunkett, Monash University and Michael Dominic Dyson, Monash University.

So We Don’t Dry Up and Blow Away: The School’s Role in a Rural Community-Mara Casey Tieken-Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Pie Supper and Cake Walks: An Historical Perspective of the Closing of a Rural School-Ruby Robinson, Purdue University and A. G. Rud, Purdue University.

SUNDAY, May 2

10:35am-12:05, Sheraton Denver/Plaza Court 3
Symposium
International Approaches to Narrowing the Achievement Gap: Working with Rural Schools and Communities: A Symposium
Discussant: Steven McGee, University of Michigan
Chair Steven McGee, University of Michigan

Addressing the Needs of Rural School Students who Achieve Below National Benchmarks in Numeracy: An Australian Perspective-John E. Pegg, University of New England and Lorraine J. Graham, University of New England.

The effect of Cyber Home School on Korean Rural Students’ Mathematics Achievement and Attitude –Hee-Chan Lew, Korea National University of Education.

12:25pm-1:55, Sheraton Denver/Grand Ballroom Section 2
Roundtable session 28
Chair: Windy M. Smith, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

A Complex Ecology: Rural Schools and Student Participation in Supplemental Education Services-Zoe A. Barley, Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning.

Improving Rural Student Writing-Shirley J. Mills, University of Texas-Pan American and Jody C. Isernhagen, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Opportunity to Learn, Risk Aversion, and Math Achievement in Rural High Schools-Edward B. Reeves, Morehead State University.

6:15pm-7:45
Sheraton Denver/Plaza Court 3
Rural Education SIG Business Meeting
Chair: John Maddaus

MONDAY, May 3

8:15am-9:45, Sheraton Denver/Grand Ballroom Section 2
Roundtable session 33
Chair: Cathy C. Leogrande, LeMoyne College

An Ecological Perspective on Preparing Teachers for Rural and Remote Schools-Dennis M. Mulcahy, Memorial University and Karen C. Goodnough, Memorial University.

Picturing Rural: Preservice Teachers’ Understanding of Rural Teaching-Karen Eppley, The Pennsylvania State University.

Experiences in Virtual Schooling: A Case Study of Students at One Rural School-Michael Kristopher Barbour, Wayne State University.

10:35am-12:05, Sheraton Denver/Grand Ballroom Section 2
Roundtable session 35
Chair: Amy L. Cole, McGill University

Country Connectivity: Increasing Academic Success, Learning, and Engagement at a High-Tech Rural High School-Emily Summers, Texas State University and Gail D. Dickinson, Texas State University.

Duck and Cover: Are Rural Students Taking Basic Courses to Avoid Taking them Online? Dennis M. Mulcahy, Memorial University and Michael Kristopher Barbour, Wayne State University.

Online Distance Education in Rural High Schools: Expanding the Role of the On-Site Facilitator-Julie Thompson Keane, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Matthew J. Irvin, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Claire de la Varre, University
of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and Wallace Hannum, University of North Carolina.

Rural Schools, Multiculturalism, and Place-Based Education in the Standardization Era-Carol E. Marxen, University of Minnesota-Morris.

12:25pm-1:55, Sheraton Denver/Grand Ballroom Section 2
Roundtable session 38, paper session
Discussant: Teresa M. Davis, California State University-Chico
Chair: Kai A. Schafft, The Pennsylvania State University

Updating the Arnold and Coladarci Challenges to Rural Education Research: Is there progress to report? Louis F. Cicchinelli, Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning and Zoe A. Barley, Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning.

The Rural-Urban Gap in Educational Attainment: Results from the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988-2000-Soo-Yong Byun, University of North Carolina, Judith L. Meece, University of North Carolina, and Mathew J. Irvin, University of North
Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Validation Study of the Scales of Educational Attitudes and Behaviors-Melissa S. Mitchell, University of Connecticut, D. Betsy McCoach, University of Connecticut, and Del L. Siegle, University of Connecticut.

TUESDAY, May 4

8:15am-9:45, Colorado Convention Center/Korbel Ballroom 2
Roundtable session 44
Chair: John Maddaus, University of Maine

A Decade of Partnering for University Pre-Kindergarten: New York State and its Rural Communities-John W. Sipple, Cornell University, Hope Casto, Cornell University, and Lisa McCabe, Cornell University.

Reducing Summer Setback with Rural Middle School Students Who Participate in Online Learning Community-Robert J. Wilson, The Ohio State University.

Assessing the Impact of 21st Century Rural School Consolidation: The Nebraska Experience-Jeanne L. Surface, University of Nebraska-Omaha and Kay Anne Keiser.

12:25pm-1:55, Colorado Convention Center/Korbel Ballroom2
Roundtable session 45
Chair: Kristina Astrid Hesbol, Illinois State University

Project STEEM: Promoting Participation in STEM Careers Among Rural Youth-Cynthia L. Schneider, The University of Texas-Austin, Kerri O’Connor, The University of Texas-Austin, Richard Kreminski, The University of Texas-Austin, and Lesley F. Leach,
The University of Texas-Austin.

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Institutional Type as Casual Factor for Appalachian Outmigration-Christopher Stapel, University of Kentucky.

The Community Context for Rural Youth Aspirations-Kai A. Schafft, The Pennsylvania State University, Erin Carol McHenry-Sorber, The Pennsylvania State University, Judith L. Meece, The Pennsylvania State University, and Thomas W. Farmer, The
Pennsylvania State University.

Upward Bound Math-Science Researches Water Quality: Place-Based Education, Cirtical Pedagogy of Place and Cultural Commons-John Maddaus, University of Maine.

2009-2010 Rural Education SIG Officers and Coordinators

SIG Chairperson
Dr. John Maddaus
University of Maine
john.maddaus-at-umit.maine.edu

SIG Secretary/Treasurer
Dr. Kathleen T. Jorissen
ktjorissen-at-charter.net
Western Carolina University

SIG Program Chairs
Dr. Patricia T. Hardre
hardre-at-ou.edu
The University of Oklahoma
And
Dr. Dennis Mulcahy
dmulcahy-at-mun.ca
Memorial University

Awards Chair
Dr. Caitlin Howley
cHowley-at-icfi.com
ICF International

Webmaster
Dr Michael K. Barbour
mkbarbour-at-gmail.com
Wayne State University

Membership Coordinator
Dr. Kristine Reed
kreed-at-usd.edu
University of South Dakota

Newsletter Editor
Dr. Sharon Spall
sharon.spall-at-wku.edu
Western Kentucky University

An American Educational Research Association List

If you need assistance with this list, please send an email to listadmin@aera.net.

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

New SIG Business Items

2010-04-26T16:59:00.002-04:00

Please add the attached files to the Rural Education SIG Blog:

Thanks,

John Maddaus
Associate Professor of Education
University of Maine
5766 Shibles Hall
Orono, ME 04469-5766
E-mail: john-dot-maddaus-at-umit-dot-maine-dot-edu

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

Creating Rural Connections

2010-04-21T08:45:00.001-04:00

Note that I just came across this blog entry, Creating Rural Connections, from the blog of the Alberta Distributed Education and Technology Association.

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

NMSTE 2010 Conference Free Virtual Strand

2010-04-18T12:18:00.002-04:00

This appeared in the iNACOL forums a few days ago. Note the session on "Extending Broadband Across Rural School Districts".

Register #nmste10 free Virtual Conference Strand http://bit.ly/cUspMi happening now. Attend April 21-22 (MST) some of the conference online! 50-minute sessions include Teaching Science Online & Virtual Labs; Educational Uses of Animations; K12 Social: Considerations and Possibilities; Open Learning - How To become a ‘Curriculum Architect’ With Open Content

The complete list of sessions is available at http://webinars.nmsu.edu/series-detail.cfm?id=16 and includes:

Tech. Happy Hour - TBA
Extending Broadband Across Rural School Districts - Jeff Cangialosi
Teaching Science Online & Virtual Labs - Dr. Julia Parra
Educational Uses of Animations - Bethany Bovard
K12 Social: Considerations and Possibilities - Holly Rae Bemis-Schurtz
E-Rate DIY (Do It Yourself) and Save $$ - Eddie Quispe, Vickie Garcia, Steven Kluess
Open Learning - How To become a ‘Curriculum Architect’ With Open Content - Katrina Coker

If you have the time later this week, you should consider attending one or more of these webinars.

This is cross-posted on the Virtual School Meanderings
as NMSTE 2010 Conference Free Virtual Strand.

Call for Presentations--NREA Research Forum

2010-04-17T10:22:00.002-04:00

Dear Colleague,

I am writing to you because of your interest in rural education research. Please find attached a Call for Proposals to present at the National Rural Education Research Symposium to be held in Branson, Missouri, October 15-17, 2010. I encourage you to consider sharing your research at this symposium.

Sincerely,
Patti Chance, Chair
NREA Research Symposium

Patti L. Chance, Ph. D.
Chair and Professor
Department of Educational Leadership
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-1190
619-594-4674
pchance-at-mail-dot-sdsu-dot-edu

--------------------------

CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS
National Rural Education Association

2010 Research Symposium
October 15-17, 2010
Chalet on the Lake
Branson, Missouri

In Conjunction with the
102nd Annual National Rural Education Association CONVENTION
Co-hosted by the
Missouri Association of Rural Educators

Submission Deadline: June 15, 2010

You are invited to submit a proposal to the National Rural Education (NREA) Research Symposium to be held on October 15-17, 2010, at the Chalet on the Lake in Branson, Missouri, in conjunction with the 102nd Annual NREA Convention. We are seeking proposals involving research relevant to any aspect of PK-12 education in rural settings.

This invitation is extended to you in an effort to assemble outstanding rural education researchers in a forum devoted solely to research related to rural education issues. The NREA Research Symposium is a premier event of the NREA Convention.

All proposals should be submitted via e-mail to jehill-at-purdue-dot-edu

Further information is available at the NREA website, http://nrea.net/index.cfm?pID=3056

Proposals will be peer reviewed based on relevance to PK-12 rural education and adherence to the proposal outline. Presenters who submit full research papers by September 24, 2010, will be considered for the Howard A. Dawson Best Research Paper Award, which carries a $500.00 award.

Registration for the NREA Research Symposium is $295, which provides admission to both the Research Symposium and the NREA Convention.

Submission Deadline: June 15, 2009

To submit proposal, go to: http://nrea.net/index.cfm?pID=3056

For additional information, contact Dr. John Hill, Executive Director of the NREA, jehill-at-purdue-dot-edu, or Dr. Patti Chance, Chair of the NREA Research/Higher Education Committee, pchance-at-mail-dot-sdsu-dot-edu.

Tags: AERA, NREA, small schools, rural, education

Rural School Districts Eligible for Federal i3 Grant Application Assistance

2010-04-01T15:56:00.003-04:00

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has provided a $1.4 million grant to the Rural School and Community Trust to provide technical assistance to rural schools/districts as they prepare proposals for the Investing in Innovation competition. More information is available here.

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

ESEA Reauthorization and Rural Stakeholders

2010-03-26T10:58:00.005-04:00

Check out this transcript of a phone conference conducted on March 16 between ED staff and rural stakeholders about the Obama administration's "blueprint" for ESEA reauthorization. (With thanks to Kai Schafft for bringing this to our attention!)

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

Join the Formula Fairness Campaign

2010-03-23T09:51:00.003-04:00

From www.formulafairness.com

Is the education of a disadvantaged child in an urban school worth more than the education of a disadvantaged child in a rural school? Should a disadvantaged child in a wealthy suburb count more in a federal funding formula than a disadvantaged child in a high-poverty rural community? If you don’t think so, join the Formula Fairness Campaign to fix what’s wrong about the formula for distributing federal funds for the education of disadvantaged students in public schools.

Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (now known as No Child Left Behind) provides federal funding to local school districts to help them meet the educational needs of disadvantaged students, primarily those living in poverty.

The formula by which these funds are distributed is badly flawed.

One provision sends more money for each disadvantaged student in a large school district and less money for each disadvantaged student in a small district, even if the poverty rate in the smaller district is higher than the poverty rate in the larger district. It’s called Number Weighting" and it takes money from small schools with the most poverty and gives it to big schools with the least poverty.

Another provision sends more money to states that spend more per pupil on public education – wealthy states – and less to states that spend little – poor states. This lets legislatures in states where support for education is weakest dictate how much federal funding goes to help disadvantaged students.

To learn more about these and other formula injustices, go to www.formulafairness.com.

The Formula Fairness Campaign takes aim at these unfair provisions based on this simple principle: The education of a disadvantaged child in a small, rural school is worth as much to the nation as the education of a disadvantaged child anywhere. The Formula Fairness Campaign’s objective is to end Title I formula discrimination against disadvantaged rural students. We will press for reforms, engage people in the process, find solutions, and get them enacted.
Rural poor children are not the only ones unfairly affected by the Title I formula. Many high-poverty cities are also adversely affected. The Formula Fairness Campaign will work with advocates for these children to make the formula fair for them as well.

What you can do now:
Go to www.formulafairness.com to

Sign up as a Supporter of the Formula Fairness Campaign
Encourage organizations you are active in to Co-Sponsor the Formula Fairness Campaign
Sign the petition to congressional leaders and the Secretary of Education
Sign up to receive Formula Fairness Campaign updates and action alerts.
Forward this to your friends, co-workers, members of organizations you belong to.

The Formula Fairness Campaign is sponsored by the Rural School and Community Trust, a national non-profit organization dedicated to helping rural schools and communities get better together. To learn more about the Rural School and Community Trust, go to www.ruraledu.org.

Campaign Co-Sponsors include:
Arkansas Rural Education Association
California Small Districts Association
Center for Rural Affairs
Missouri Association for Rural Education
Montana Small Schools Alliance
National Rural Education Advocacy Coalition
North Carolina Rural Education Working Group
Organizations Concerned about Rural Education
Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools
Rural Community Alliance (AR)
Rural School and Community Trust
Save Alabama’s Small Schools
South Carolina Rural Education Grassroots Group
Texas Rural Education Association

Organizations wanting to sign up as co-sponsors of the campaign contact marty.strange@comcast.net.

To receive a free monthly electronic newsletter on rural education policy issues, sign up for Rural Policy Matters here: http://www.ruraledu.org/mybuilt_rpm.php?arg=create

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

2010 Dissertation Awards

2010-03-11T20:08:00.002-05:00

The American Educational Research Association's Rural Education special interest group's dissertation awards for 2010 are as follows:

Dr. Elyse Pratt-Ronco. Adolescents Living In Rural Poverty: Success, Resilience, and Barriers to Social Mobility. (Boston College)
Dr. Karen Eppley. Friction, Fiction, and Failure: Scientifically Based Research and the Rural. (The Pennsylvania State University)
Dr. Thomas Butler. Rural Schools And Communities: How Globalization Influences Rural School and Community Collaboration. (The Pennsylvania State University)

Congratulations to winners and thanks to Caitlin Howley, the awards committee, and the individual reviewers.

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

Rural schools need more federal attention

2010-03-10T16:09:00.002-05:00

From eSchool News - http://www.eschoolnews.com/2010/03/09/rural-schools-need-more-federal-attention/

Rural schools need more federal attention
New report says policies should address the often-overlooked needs of struggling U.S. rural schools
By Meris Stansbury, Associate Editor
Mar 9th, 2010

The report helps dispel common myths about rural schools.

According to a new report, one out of every four rural students fails to graduate from high school, a problem that owes largely to a lack of attention to the needs of rural schools. From changing Title I formulas to providing cutting-edge technology, it’s time to provide more support to those who need it most, the report says.

Called “Current Challenges and Opportunities in Preparing Rural High School Students for Success in College and Careers: What Federal Policymakers Need to Know,” the report was released by the Alliance for Excellent Education (AEE), a national policy and advocacy organization with a commitment to ensure that all students graduate from high school prepared for success. It was funded by the Walmart Foundation.

According to the report, approximately 3.4 million students attend rural high schools, yet one out of four students fails to graduate. Overall, rural school enrollment is on the rise—up 15 percent over the past several years—but more than 20 percent of the nation’s poorest-performing high schools are located in rural areas.

Students of color, low-income students, English language learners, migrant students, and children with special needs are at even greater risk for dropping out of rural high schools, and college enrollment rates for 18- to 24-year-olds are lower in rural areas than in any other location; only 17 percent of rural adults ages 25 and older have a college degree, which is half the percentage of urban adults.

A larger percentage of teenagers in rural areas, as compared with suburban areas, are neither in school nor employed.

“Much of the recent debate over high school reform at the federal level has not involved rural schools,” said Bob Wise, AEE president and former governor of West Virginia. “Every student in America deserves the chance to graduate from high school ready to succeed in college, careers, and life.”

The report argues that education reformers should pay more attention to rural high schools, because not only do the “principles of equity demand it,” but also because with almost 90 percent of the fastest-growing high-wage jobs now requiring a postsecondary education, “our nation needs every child to be prepared to participate in the global economy.”

The report also says there currently exists an unprecedented opportunity to help reform and support rural schools as a result of the severe state and local government budget crises, coupled with the “national urgency for massive education reform.”

“The federal government will be the driving force,” said Wise. “The traditional educational functions of administration and instruction will remain with the local school districts and states, but the federal government will have the responsibility to provide the commitment and strategic resources for the true innovation.”

Rural schools’ needs

To help government officials and education stakeholders better understand rural schools’ needs, the report describes the many advantages and disadvantages facing rural schools as their leaders strive to provide a high-quality education for all students.

Some of the advantages that rural schools have include a growing access to innovative technology, such as distance-learning infrastructure that can connect students to subject-matter experts in other locations, and high levels of volunteer support from parents and other concerned stakeholders.

“We wear many hats in our district,” said Greg Darling, superintendent of Humboldt Community School District in Humboldt, Iowa—a district with 1,292 students, four schools, and 88 teachers.

“But thankfully, we’re lucky enough to have regional backing. … We have lots of small-town pride.”

Rural schools also have a small student-to-teacher ratio, meaning students can have a closer relationship with their teachers and benefit from individualized learning.

However, rural schools also face many disadvantages, such as shrinking local tax bases, federal and state funding inequities, challenges in recruiting and retaining highly effective teachers and school leaders, limited access to Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses, and the out-migration of young people and professionals.

Pages: 1 2 3

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

Rural Education SIG News

2010-02-25T19:17:00.000-05:00

AERA Rural Ed Sig News.

If you have items for the newsletter for the Rural Education Sig, please send these to me by March 6. The newsletter will be sent before the annual meeting.

Send items to: sharon-dot-spall-at-wku-dot-edu

Thank you,
Sharon Spall

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

A Responsive Approach for Northern Professional Development

2010-01-27T20:35:00.001-05:00

This was originally posted at http://www.adeta.org/node/541

Alberta-North www.alberta-north.ca is a unique collaboration of post-secondary schools working together to provide learning opportunities for adult learners in rural and remote northern communities. The partners involved are Athabasca University www.athabascau.ca, Grande Prairie Regional College http://www.gprc.ab.ca, Keyano College www.keyano.ca, NorQuest College www.norquest.ab.ca, Northern Lakes College www.northernlakescollege.ca, Portage College www.portagecollege.ca and Aurora College www.auroracollege.nt.ca. Through a network of 85 community learning sites http://www.alberta-north.ca/cap-site-locations/, residents have access to more than programs and course, there are learning support services on-site along with technologies, resources, equipment and high speed internet. To learn more about Alberta-North and the services available, visit our web site http://www.alberta-north.ca/about-us/.

In this complex and distributed network of organizations and services, communication and professional development are certainly challenging. Learning support facilitators are at locations dispersed across northern Alberta and throughout the Northwest Territories, so professional development needs to be responsive to busy schedules and distributed locations. Since the northern institutions have adopted Moodle www.moodle.org as their common LMS, and a provincial license pool of Elluminate Live! www.elluminate.com was available through eCampusAlberta www.ecampusalberta.ca, we were quick to use those systems to revitalize our professional development offerings. For the recent launch of our online staff enhancement plan we have posted orientation and training resources on Moodle and are conducting real time activities and discussion by web conferencing to provide additional opportunities for dialogue and sharing. Our plan is to use the online PD to build to our annual Symposium www.alberta-north.ca/symposium, this year hosted by Northern Lakes College in Peace River.

Two new professional development initiatives are on-stream this year for faculty and staff across the north. One is a Professional Learning Series http://scope.bccampus.ca/course/view.php?id=251, a joint initiative with eCampusAlberta www.eccampusalberta.ca and BCcampus www.bccampus.ca that provides monthly web conferences on topics related to online learning and course development. The most recent session was authentic learning and assessment with Doug Hamilton and Sandra Rogers, Royal Roads University www.royalroads.ca. Earlier sessions were on various topics ranging from Canadian copyright consultation with Maureen Baron, CNIE www.cnie-rcie.ca, to course design principles for engagement with Sheila Whitmore , eCampusAlberta www.ecampusalberta.ca. To help bridge the time constraints of synchronous delivery, the sessions are archived on BCcampus’ SCoPE website http://scope.bccampus.ca for anyone who misses the web conference. The second initiative enables faculty and staff of our member organizations to take advantage of the benefit of having a common LMS. We are developing a Moodle Community of Practice to expand and foster sharing of expertise. As this evolves, I will inform you of the results.

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

Article - Evaluating Shared Access: social equality and the circulation of mobile phones in rural Uganda

2010-01-20T13:39:00.001-05:00

Evaluating Shared Access: social equality and the circulation of mobile phones in rural Uganda

By Jenna Burrell

This article examines forms of shared access to technology where some privileges of ownership are retained. Sharing is defined as informal, non-remunerative resource distributing activities where multiple individuals have a relationship to a single device as purchaser, owner, possessor, operator and/or user. In the specific case of mobile phones in rural Uganda, dynamics of social policing and social obligation were mediated and concretized by these devices. Patterns of sharing mobile phones in rural Uganda led to preferential access for needy groups (such as those in ill health) while systematically and disproportionately excluding others (women in particular). The framework for sharing proposed in this article will be useful for structuring comparisons of technology adoption and access across cultural contexts.

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

Sad News

2010-01-19T16:05:00.001-05:00

Mary Anne Raywid, a well-known small schools scholar, died on January 12 at the age of 81. More information is available here.

Collaborative Tools Help Rural Alabama Community Equalize High School Education

2010-01-06T20:22:00.001-05:00

Web 2.0 Strategies for Education

1/6/2010

Contact the Editor

Sponsor this Newsletter

Change email address

Unsubscribe

Focus

Collaborative Tools Help Rural Alabama Community Equalize High School Education
Because many of the schools in Talladega County School District are small and the district rural, attracting quality high school teachers has been a challenge. But through videoconferencing technologies, the district can make more of its limited resources to help students and teachers alike learn and grow in ways that would not otherwise have been possible. More

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

Rural Education SIG - DRAFT Bylaws

2009-12-17T11:10:00.004-05:00

The following was shared with the executive of the Rural Education SIG, but we wanted to get a larger round of feedback from the membership. Below is the message that John sent around and the documents for your review.

------------------------------------

My apologies for making this request so close to the end of the semester and right before the holidays. I have had a very busy semester, and didn't draft the Rural Education SIG bylaws nearly as soon as I had hoped to. I sent the attached draft bylaws, explanatory notes, and the message below on Dec. 3, and have so far received only one response, which was that everything looked fine. I have a deadline of Dec. 31 to submit SIG bylaws to the AERA Central Office, so that they can be voted on in the up-coming AERA online election. If you could possibly look over what I've written and make suggestions, it would be appreciated. I'll be working Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays for the next two weeks, so any suggestions received by Wednesday, Dec. 30 can be included.

Thanks, and happy holidays!

John Maddaus
Associate Professor of Education
University of Maine
5766 Shibles Hall
Orono, ME 04469-5766
Phone: 207-581-2429
Fax: 207-581-2423
E-mail: john.maddaus-at-umit-dot-maine-dot-edu

Rural Education SIG DRAFT Bylaws.doc
Rural Ed SIG DRAFT Bylaws,Notes.doc

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

EdWeek Blog on Urban Slant in Race to the Top

2009-12-16T14:14:00.003-05:00

The EdWeek blog Politics K-12, "Is Race to the Top an Urban Game?" Bloggers Michelle McNeil and Alyson Klein write that some states may refrain from applying for Round 2 of Race to the Top funds. Largely rural states such as Vermont or North Dakota don't provide for charter schools, one of the competition's favored "innovations." Such states note that they would really like to do some good work with the funds but aren't sure how their more rural-inflected approaches would fare in the competition.

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

2009-11-09T09:54:00.002-05:00

Call for Nominations
Dissertation Award in Rural Education

Sponsored by
the American Educational Research Association
Special Interest Group in Rural Education

Fully one-quarter of American schoolchildren live in rural communities. The AERA SIG in Rural Education seeks to promote and recognize rigorous research among new scholars that can influence policy and practice to improve the educational lives of these children. The Rural Ed SIG seeks nominations for its 8th Dissertation of the Year Award. The winner of the award will be recognized at the Rural SIG reception at the Annual AERA Meeting in May 2010 in Denver, Colorado.

Eligibility: Doctoral dissertations completed between September 1, 2007 and August 31, 2009.

The awards committee will accept nominations from any research tradition in education, sociology, history, and other fields, and in which the rural context is prominent in the conception, research design, execution, conclusions, and recommendations (if any). Dissertations in which the word rural is uncommon are not likely to qualify to be judged. Authors are encouraged to nominate their own works; nomination by another scholar is unnecessary and it is not considered a substantive advantage.

The nomination must include the dissertation author’s current contact information (postal address, phone, email address, current work affiliation, and webpage if any) and the nominee's contact information (if not a self-nomination). In addition, the nomination must provide the name of institution, the relevant academic department, and exact date of the dissertation defense at which the study was accepted.

Please send nominations, an unbound copy of the complete dissertation (title page, text, abstract, reference list) and an electronic version on a CD-ROM by January 15, 2010 to the Award Committee Chair. Materials submitted become the property of the awards committee and cannot be returned to the author or nominator.

Award Committee Chair
Caitlin Howley
300 Summers Street, Suite 600
Charleston, West Virginia 25301
304.342.4627
CHowley@icfi.com

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

NRCRES Conference: Increasing Rural 8th Graders' Access to Algebra I: Is Online Education An Effective Alternative?

2009-11-06T08:44:00.001-05:00

The final day of The National Research Center on Rural Education Support's Supporting Rural Schools and Communities Research Conference (see program here). The breakout session today that focused upon K-12 distance education is:

8:00 - 9:45
Break-Out Session I
Distance Education and Technology

Chairs: Judith Meece and Matthew Irvin
Discussant: Miles Bryant (UNL)

Presenters:

Wallace Hannum (UNC-CH) and Matthew Irvin (UNC-CH) - Enhancing Distance Education in Rural Schools

Michael Barbour (Wayne State University) - Supporting K-12 Students Online: Local schools, Virtual Schools, and Teacher Education

Peggy Clements (REL-NEI) - Increasing Rural 8th Graders' Access to Algebra I: Is Online Education an Effective Alternative?

Steve Oliver (UGA) - Relevance of NSF Drivers of Systemic Reform for Instructional Technology Interventions

This entry is focused on the first group in this session:

Peggy Clements (REL-NEI) - Increasing Rural 8th Graders' Access to Algebra I: Is Online Education an Effective Alternative?

The session began with a rationale for her study... Studying Algebra I because it is a gatekeeping course for more advanced mathematics, and studying it in an online environment with eighth graders because online delivery is a common way to increase access to curricular opportunities. The sample focused on 70 schools in Maine and Vermont that did not previously offer Algebra I courses in their school. The students who were the focus of the study were "algebra ready" (AR) eighth graders (based on the decision of the schools), but they were also interested in any side affects for the three quarters of eighth grade "non-algebra ready" students who were left in the classroom environment.

The primary research questions were:

What is the impact of offering Algebra I online to AR students on their end-of-eighth grade algebra achievement?

What is the impact of offering Algebra I online to AR students on their subsequent high school course taking?

The secondary research questions:

What is the impact of offering Algebra I online to AR students on the N-AR students mathematics achievement?

What is the impact of offering Algebra I online to AR students on the n-AR students subsequent high school course taking?

What is the impact of offering Algebra I online to AR students on the AR general mathematics achievement?

Unfortunately, while the research project has been completed the funding agency hasn't approved the report yet - so the presenter was not able to discuss the results.

As a side note, on two separate occasions the presenter decided to "correct" something she thought I had said in my presentations - the first time she clearly wasn't listening to what I said and the second time it was something she appears to have made up altogether.

Crossposted at Virtual High School Meanderings.

NRCRES Conference: Enhancing Distance Education In Rural Schools

2009-11-06T08:42:00.001-05:00

8:00 - 9:45
Break-Out Session I
Distance Education and Technology

Chairs: Judith Meece and Matthew Irvin
Discussant: Miles Bryant (UNL)

Presenters:

Wallace Hannum (UNC-CH) and Matthew Irvin (UNC-CH) - Enhancing Distance Education in Rural Schools

Michael Barbour (Wayne State University) - Supporting K-12 Students Online: Local schools, Virtual Schools, and Teacher Education

Peggy Clements (REL-NEI) - Increasing Rural 8th Graders' Access to Algebra I: Is Online Education an Effective Alternative?

Steve Oliver (UGA) - Relevance of NSF Drivers of Systemic Reform for Instructional Technology Interventions

This entry is focused on the first group in this session:

Wallace Hannum (UNC-CH) and Matthew Irvin (UNC-CH) - Enhancing Distance Education in Rural Schools

This session was a follow-up or more detailed focus on the qualitative results from yesterday's session (see NRCRES Conference: Overview Of The Enhancing Rural Online Learning Project). The data was based on discussion boards and interviews. Some of the findings included:

scenarios very useful to facilitators

felt strategies likely effective but time limitations often impeded use

already knew students and families very well

the APA Learner Centered Principles may be better for less experienced educators

Interestingly, the research targeted what they called "very small" rural school and for over 80% of the schools that participated in their study this was the first time they had online learning in their schools. Based on their findings, they found that the best facilitators

communcated regularly

kept teacher informed of absences in advance

had some connection to the content

were aware of what students were doing

assisted students with daily activities

kept students on task

were more than just a "baby sitter"

checked daily e-mails from teacher

were effective classroom managers

In terms of practice, the researchers found the facilitators were likely important, particularly when there was good communication and awareness of the role.

Crossposted at Virtual High School Meanderings.

NRCRES 2009: Supporting K-12 Students Online: Local schools, Virtual Schools, And Teacher Education

2009-11-06T08:23:00.001-05:00

8:00 - 9:45
Break-Out Session I
Distance Education and Technology

Chairs: Judith Meece and Matthew Irvin
Discussant: Miles Bryant (UNL)

Presenters:

Wallace Hannum (UNC-CH) and Matthew Irvin (UNC-CH) - Enhancing Distance Education in Rural Schools
Michael Barbour (Wayne State University) - Supporting K-12 Students Online: Local schools, Virtual Schools, and Teacher Education
Peggy Clements (REL-NEI) - Increasing Rural 8th Graders' Access to Algebra I: Is Online Education an Effective Alternative?
Steve Oliver (UGA) - Relevance of NSF Drivers of Systemic Reform for Instructional Technology Interventions

This entry is focused on my presentation in this session:

Michael Barbour (Wayne State University) - Supporting K-12 Students Online: Local schools, Virtual Schools, and Teacher Education

As this was my session, the best I can do is post the slides I used. These are available at:

http://www.michaelbarbour.com/research/pubs/nrcres-2009.pdf

If you have any questions about this presentation, feel free to ask.

Crossposted at Virtual High School Meanderings.

NRCRES Conference: Overview Of The Enhancing Rural Online Learning Project

2009-11-05T14:18:00.002-05:00

So, I'm sitting at The National Research Center on Rural Education Support's Supporting Rural Schools and Communities Research Conference (see program here). The only session today that focused upon K-12 distance education is:

1:30 - 2:15
EROL Presentation
Wallace Hannum and Matthew Irvin
Overview of the Enhancing Rural Online Learning Project

The session began with Wally providing an overview of the five years worth of work that has gone into this project. Wally felt that distance education at the K-12 level was particularly well placed to address many of the issues related to rural education (e.g., geographic isolation, fewer numbers of students, difficulties in recruiting and retaining teachers in certified advanced courses, rural school's ability to provide advanced/AP courses).

Their distance learning administrator survey was sent to 400 randomly selected superintendents of rural school districts (95% rate of return). Some of their main findings

74% offered some form of distance education
online or web-based formats were the most common
technology requirements not a barrier
administrators felt students were prepared in academic and computer skills, but less so in study skills
most wanted more distance education

One one of Wally's slides, there was a bullet that read:

online courses are as effective as traditional courses, but
- greater drop-out
- less engagement
- feelings of isolation
- research rarely involved high schools or rural youth

From the beginning of the project, the researchers viewed the results through the lens that the presence of a local facilitator is key. The local facilitator:

must provide "human component" of teaching that is largely missing when teacher not present
must establish and maintain on-going relationships
must provide support, guidance, help with self- regulation and study skills, etc.

And also through the lens of the APA Learner Centered Principles. Based on the results on an initial survey, the researchers developed a professional development program that taught local facilitators on how to use the learner centered principles. Using data from an initial pilot study, the researchers moved from a direct instruction PD program that focused on the learner centered principles to a more constructivist program that utilized various scenarios based upon actual examples that local facilitators reported experiencing during that pilot year.

Much of this earlier work was described in this following article (I'm pretty sure):

Hannum, W. H., Irvin, M. J., Banks, J. B., & Farmer, T. W. (2009). Distance education use in rural schools. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 24(3). Retrieved 17 April 2009 from http://jrre.psu.edu/articles/24-3.pdf

Next Matt took over and began to describe a cluster randomized experimental design study that they completed with the local facilitators during the final two years of the project. Matt provided a detailed background into the design of the study and the nature of the sample that they had over the two year period. Matt then turned it over to one of his colleagues, who's name I didn't catch, to describe the method of data analysis and eventually the results.

In looking at the results, there were several statistically significant (and I missed many of these, as the speaker went through them very quickly):

the control group had more AP courses
the treatment group (i.e., those that had local facilitators) had spent more time [doing something or other]
there was a higher dropout rate in the control group (i.e., those that did not hve local facilitators) of about 10% - but both numbers were high (more than a third for the treatment group and almost half for the control group)
males has lower AP scores
those who are on free or reduced lunch were less likely to score high on the AP exam
and again I missed about two thirds of these due to an inability to understand the statistical tables presented and the speed of the presenter

Matt ended with a brief discussion of future directions. At present, they still have a lot of data that they can analyze and analyze in new ways. The researchers also want to continue to develop and refine the professional development program for the local facilitators.

Crossposted at Virtual High School Meanderings.

Reminder: National Research Center on Rural Education Support: Supporting Rural Schools and Communities Research Conference

2009-11-03T07:53:00.000-05:00

A reminder about this event and the fact that I'll be blogging about it while I am there - both at Virtual High School Meanderings for the K-12 online learning entries and here for the other entries.

The National Research Center on Rural Education Support is hosting the Supporting Rural Schools and Communities Research Conference from 05-06 November 2009 at the Carolina Inn, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Among other presentations on the program, are two sessions related to K-12 online learning.

05 November 2009

1:30pm to 2:15pm - Overview of the Enhancing Rural Online Learning Project by Wallace Hannum and Matthew Irvin

06 November 2009

8:00am to 9:45pm - Distance Education and Technology chaired by Matt Irvin and Judith Meece, with Miles Bryant as discussant

Enhancing Distance Education in Rural Schools by Wallace Hannum and Matthew Irvin
Supporting K-12 Students Online: Local schools, Virtual Schools, and Teacher Education by Michael Barbour
Increasing Rural 8th Graders' Access to Algebra I: Is Online Education an Effective Alternative? by Peggy Clements
Relevance of NSF Drivers of Systemic Reform for Instructional Technology Interventions by Steve Oliver

Registration information is currently online, along with the complete program. Hope to see some of you there.

Crossposted at Virtual High School Meanderings.

Tags: AERA, conferences, cyber school, education, high school, National Research Center on Rural Education Support, research , rural , rural education, small schools, virtual school

Rural Reminders Return

2009-11-02T15:05:00.004-05:00

According to a recent EdWeek blog posting, John White, who was hired in May as the press secretary for ED, is now serving the deputy assistant secretary for rural outreach. Although he's admittedly not a "rural guy," the move does signal ED's attention to critiques that it has ignored rural issues.

*Rural Reminders would like to apologize for their abscence; they've been busy acclimating to a new job.

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

Rural Sig Election Information

2009-10-27T22:44:00.002-04:00

The AERA Rural Sig is seeking nominations for the following offices:

Secretary/Treasurer
Program Co-Chair

If you would be willing to serve or would like to nominate someone please contact either

Jeanne Surface, jsurface@unomaha.edu OR
Craig Howley, howleyc@ohio.edu

Please let us know by November 1st!

AERA policy now limits an officer to three years in a position. We need a program co-chair to work with Dennis Mulcahy, who is now co-chair and will move up to Chair next year and a Secretary/Treasurer.

Please extend your thanks to Kathleen Jorissen for serving as Secretary/Treasurer for her sixth year, and Pat Hardre is serving as program chair for four years.

National Research Center on Rural Education Support: Supporting Rural Schools and Communities Research Conference

2009-09-11T08:41:00.003-04:00

I'll post another entry about this event as the time grows closer, and of course I'll be blogging about it while I am there - both at Virtual High School Meanderings for the K-12 online learning entries and here for the other entries - but I wanted to get the information out now in case there were those who may want to attend (and not just follow along via these two blogs).

The National Research Center on Rural Education Support is hosting the Supporting Rural Schools and Communities Research Conference from 05-06 November 2009 at the Carolina Inn, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Among other presentations on the program, are two sessions related to K-12 online learning.

05 November 2009

1:30pm to 2:15pm - Overview of the Enhancing Rural Online Learning Project by Wallace Hannum and Matthew Irvin

06 November 2009

8:00am to 9:45pm - Distance Education and Technology chaired by Matt Irvin and Judith Meece, with Miles Bryant as discussant

Enhancing Distance Education in Rural Schools by Wallace Hannum and Matthew Irvin
Supporting K-12 Students Online: Local schools, Virtual Schools, and Teacher Education by Michael Barbour
Increasing Rural 8th Graders' Access to Algebra I: Is Online Education an Effective Alternative? by Peggy Clements
Relevance of NSF Drivers of Systemic Reform for Instructional Technology Interventions by Steve Oliver

Call for Manuscripts: The High School Journal

2009-05-14T13:09:00.004-04:00

The High School Journal

School of Education
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
CB 3500, Peabody Hall
Chapel Hill, NC 28599-3500

Call for Manuscripts

The High School Journal publishes articles discussing the multiple dimensions of secondary education. We welcome original manuscripts that investigate or problematize issues of relevance to secondary students, teachers, and schools.

We are especially interested at this time in manuscripts addressing issues related to the Obama administration’s plans for secondary education as well as manuscripts addressing the impact of the current economic crisis on secondary education. However, all manuscripts related to secondary education are welcome and encouraged.

For inquiries or to submit a manuscript:

Manuscripts should be submitted electronically to highschooljournal@unc.edu. Please include:

Cover Letter including the name, contact information and affiliation of the author. If the manuscript is co-authored, please indicate to whom the correspondence should be addressed. Please clarify in the cover letter that the particular work is not under consideration by any other publication sources.
One full copy of the manuscript typed double-spaced (including quotations and references) on 8.5" x 11" paper with 1" margins. Manuscripts should run between 10 and 25 pages in typed length and should include an abstract. Text should be double-spaced throughout in a 12 point font, preferably saved as a Microsoft Word document.
One blind copy of the manuscript using the word author instead of your name. Remove coauthor names and affiliations.
Tables and figures as needed. Any information from footnotes and appendixes should be incorporated in the main text.

Editorial review usually takes 3-4 months. Particular attention needs to be paid to the style of referencing used. In most aspects, The High School Journal follows the format elaborated in The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. All figures must be camera-ready.

The High School Journal is a publication of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Education.

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

FW: SIG IT: Wrap up of AERA 2009

2009-05-08T12:26:00.000-04:00

This is a message that was sent out to members of the Instructional Technology SIG. However, it summarizes many of the changes happening in AERA that are relevant to all SIGs.

------ Forwarded message

Subject: SIG IT: Wrap up of AERA 2009

Dear SIG-IT members,

I hope that everyone who attended the 2009 AERA meeting had a great time. I was impressed with the quality of sessions particularly the SIG-IT papers, roundtables, and posters!

If you haven¹t heard, however, AERA has decided to implement some significant changes in order to foster high quality presentations and sessions at future annual meetings. These changes will take effect for the AERA 2010 meeting. I would like to disseminate and highlight some of the changes that immediately impact our members.

1. The deadline for AERA 2010 proposal submissions has been advanced to JULY 15, 2009. The proposal submission system will be open on June 1 and closed on July 15, 2009. Please plan ahead to prepare your proposal submissions to SIG-IT or other units of AERA. Also, the length of proposals has been increased.

2. The number of paper and symposium sessions will be reduced to about 1,000 total (from 1,400 previously). The lost sessions will be substituted with increased numbers of roundtable sessions and poster sessions.

3. AERA is in the process of promoting the status of roundtable and poster sessions by implementing a new format for the sessions. The new format will be working group roundtable and structured poster sessions.

4. All paper, symposium, roundtable, and poster session submissions will require a full paper uploaded to the submission system at least three weeks prior to the beginning of the Annual meeting. This isn¹t much of a change, but I hear that they are going to more strongly enforce this.

5. The peer review process will be changed to a form of review panel that consists of a group of experts in the area. Graduate student reviewers may participate in the review panel; however, the rating scores made by graduate student reviewers will not be calculated into the final rating scores. I see this as a major issue, and will bring this up next year. However, for this year we will have to go with this new way of reviewing proposals.

7. AERA is no longer accepting 2 year membership subscriptions. Please make sure you also renew your SIG-IT membership every year.

The details of these changes are in the March issue of Educational Researcher (Vol. 38, No. 2, pp. 153-155).

The method of determining the number of sessions each SIG gets remains the same, so make sure you send your proposals to SIG-IT and renew your membership so we have lots of session slots!

[stuff deleted]

------ End forwarded message

Obviously these changes apply to our SIG as well.

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

NREA Research Symposium

2009-05-02T14:12:00.001-04:00

Friends of Rural Education,

The NREA Research Symposium is scheduled for Cincinnati, OH October 9-11, 2009.

I have attached information announcing the opportunity to propose a presentation for the meeting. Please give serious consideration to the opportunity and feel free to share the information with those who are researching rural education topics.

John

Dr. John Hill
Executive Director
National Rural Education Association
Purdue University
Beering Hall Of Liberal Arts and Education
100 N. University Street
West Lafayette, Indiana 47907
jehill@purdue.edu
765.494.0086 (Telephone)
765.496.1228 (Fax)

2009 NREA RESEARCH SYPOSIUM submission and binder.doc

2009 NREA RESEARCH SYPOSIUM

APPLICATION FORM

October 9-10, 2009

Hilton Netherlands Hotel

Cincinnati, Ohio

Submission Deadline June 15, 2009

Conducted in conjunction with the 101^th Annual NREA convention, October 9-11, 2009.

Please complete and submit the Submission outline.

Please follow the Submission outline. Include directory information for each presenter.

Include your name or an electronic signature with the binder statement.

The Submission Outline is available on the NREA Research symposium link at www.nrea.net .

Submission Outline and Binder

Presentation Title:

(Please list each presenter and directory information on a separate form)

NREA Member: ☐Yes ☐ No

Institution/School or Company:

Address:

City: State: Zip:

Telephone: Office Home

Fax: Email:

Please attach the following:

Description: A brief, proofed description (30 words or less) of your presentation as it is to appear in the program.

Summary: A 2000 word digital summary of the research project for initial review. A copy of the presentation on a disc in PowerPoint, PDF format, or email will be requested if the research proposal is chosen to be presented at the Symposium. The NREA Research Committee will select the Howard A. Dawson Best Research Paper Award prior to the NREA Research Symposium. As a service to attendees, all presentation manuscripts may be compiled digitally for distribution. This does not constitute publication or preclude researchers submitting their work for publication following the Symposium.

Format

Manuscripts will be presented in clusters, with two presenters per cluster. Time will be provided for commentary and discussion during the 75 minute time period.

A screen and lcd projector will be provided by NREA. Special equipment such as a computeror television, must be furnished by the presenter or arranged by the presenter through the convention hotel. If your presentation is accepted, further information will be sent concerning audiovisual equipment.

BINDER

All presenters must register and pay the registration fee. I agree I will register for the Symposium or convention. I understand I will not be reimbursed for any expenses. Symposium registration will be $175, joint Symposium/Convention registration will be $295. Registration includes meals and breaks.

Signature: ______________________________________________________________________________

PLEASE SUBMIT APPLICATION TO: jehill@purdue.edu

2009 CALL FOR RURAL RESEARCH announcement.doc

CALL FOR RURAL RESEARCH

2009

NREA Research Symposium

October 9-10

Hilton Netherlands Hotel

Cincinnati, Ohio

In Conjunction with the

101^st Annual NREA CONVENTION

OCTOBER 9-11, 2009

Hosted by:

Great American Financial Resources

Submission Deadline: June 15, 2009

To: Rural Education Researchers

From: Pat Hardre, Chair of the NREA Research Committee; John Hill, Executive Director, NREA

Subject: Invitation to Submit Proposal

The National Rural Education Association will host the NREA research Symposium on October 9-10, 2009, at the Hilton Netherlands Hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio. The NREA Research Symposium will be held in conjunction with the 101^th Annual NREA convention, which is scheduled on October 9-11, 2009. Registration for the NREA Research Symposium will be $175, unless you register for the NREA convention. Registration for the NREA Convention provides a free registration for the NREA Research Symposium.

You are invited to submit a proposal for the NREA Research Symposium. All manuscripts will be peer reviewed based on a uniform rubric. The invitation is extended to you in an effort to assemble outstanding rural education researchers in a forum devoted solely to rural education issues and research. The NREA plans for the NREA Research Symposium to become the premier event in rural education research. Please plan to provide the NREA information about your proposed presentation on a disc in PowerPoint, PDF format, or email. Also, symposium presenters will be invited to submit their manuscripts for publication in The Rural Educator, a peer-edited publication of the NREA.

The NREA Executive Committee has established a $500 award, the Howard A. Dawson Best Research Paper Award, to be presented to the author of the paper that is judged to be the Best Research Paper. The award will be presented at the Symposium and the recipient of the award will present the Best Research Paper during the Research Symposium.

A draft program for the NREA research Symposium is attached.

Please review the list of presentation strands that could be included in the Symposium. Studies chosen may be blocked in presentation clusters, with no more than three presentations per cluster. Clusters will be designed to summarize the research and generate interaction between the presenters and the audience.

Submission Deadline: June 15, 2009

Please contact John Hill, Executive Director of the NREA, jehill@purdue.edu ; or Patricia Hardre, Chair of the NREA Research Committee, hardre@ou.edu ; for additional information about the NREA Research Symposium.

National Rural Education Association

2009 RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

DRAFT PROGRAM

October 9, 2009
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM		Registration
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM		Continental Breakfast
9:00 AM – 10:15 AM		Presentations Cluster
10:15 AM – 10:30 AM		Break
10:30 AM – 11:45 AM		Presentations Cluster
12:00 PM – 1:45 PM		Luncheon
2:00 PM – 3:15 PM		Presentations Cluster
3:30 Pm – 4:45 PM		Presentations Cluster

October 10, 2009
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM		Registration
8:00 AM – 8:30 AM		Continental Breakfast
8:30 AM – 9:45 AM		Presentations Cluster
10:00 AM – 10:15 AM		Break
10:15 AM – 11:30 AM		Presentations Cluster
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM		Recap/Summary
12:00 PM	Adjourn

NREA RESEARCH SYPOSIUM

PROPOSED PRESENTATION STRANDS

Rural Curriculum/Design/Theory	Student Achievement
Poverty in Rural America	Distance Learning
Rural Education Leadership	Rural School Administration
Rural Education and Economic Development	Early Childhood Education
Diversity in Rural Education	Rural Demographics
Program Evaluation and Development	Professional Development
Accountability in Rural Schools	IDEA
No Child Left Behind	Effective Rural Schools
Student Assessment	Migrant Education
Rural School Organization/Consolidation	Other Rural Issues

Submission Deadline: June 15, 2009

Tags: NREA, AERA, small schools, rural, education

Repost: Rural 21st Century Learning!

2009-04-19T10:00:00.002-04:00

Okay, I came across this podcast some time ago, but only had the chance to listen to it yesterday on the flight back from San Diego and AERA 2009. Take the 20 minutes, as it is worth it to listen to the principal from this innovative, rural charter school.

Walton 21st Century Rural Life Center is a public charter school on a mission to promote rural family farm values, while developing 21st century skills in it’s learners. School projects are tied to...

Find out more...

AERA 2009 - Barriers to Distance Education in Rural Schools

2009-04-16T13:52:00.000-04:00

Crossposted from http://virtualschooling.wordpress.com/2009/04/17/aera-2009-barriers-to-distance-education-in-rural-schools/.

Okay, the last two or three entries related to the K-12 Online Learning Presentations at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in San Diego. The first one of Thursday was part of a session entitled Distance Education in Rural Contexts and it was delivered by folks from the National Research Center on Rural Education:

Barriers to Distance Education in Rural Schools

Schedule Information:
Scheduled Time: Thu, Apr 16 - 12:25pm - 1:55pm Building/Room: San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina / Newport Beach
In Session: Distance Education in Rural Contexts

Authors:
Matthew J. Irvin (University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill)
Wallace Hannum (University of North Carolina)
Claire de la Varre (University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill)

Abstract: This investigation examined barriers to distance education (DE) as perceived by rural school administrators in 417 districts randomly selected from the 2004-2005 Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP). This study is the first to examine rural schools’ barriers to DE and related factors (district characteristics, course subjects, delivery format, student preparation, course completion, and satisfaction with DE). Results indicate that barriers are most consistently related to district characteristics, course subjects, delivery format, student preparation, and satisfaction with DE. Results suggest that rural schools with district and personnel barriers need to address other related issues to ensure successful DE efforts. Additional implications and suggestions for dealing with these barriers and issues will be discussed.

This presentation was based on an article that these individuals had published earlier in:

Hannum, W. H., Irvin, M. J., Banks, J. B., & Farmer,T. W. (2009). Distance education use in rural schools. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 24(3). Retrieved 17 April 2009 from http://jrre.psu.edu/articles/24-3.pdf

A couple of the main things that I took away from this presentation, was the order of the barriers found in their study. However, I digress a bit. This presentation was a survey study of 394 randomly selected rural schools from across the country (which was a 95% response rate) conducted in 2005.

In their responses, these rural districts indicated the following as barriers to K-12 distance education

Not needed for curriculum requirements - 67.7% (District barrier)
Lack of sufficient funding - 63.7% (District barrier)
Problems scheduling - 58.7% (Logistical barrier)
Not a district priority - 53.2% (District barrier)
Personnel not trained to support - 46.8 (Personnel barrier)
Difficult to implement - 45.2% (Logistical barrier)
Do not have personnel to support - 33.7% (Personnel barrier)
Difficulty finding courses needed - 31.1% (Logistical barrier)
Not part of the strategic plan - 28.3% (District barrier)
Lack of technical expertise - 17.1% (Personnel barrier)
Lack of technology enhanced rooms - 15.1% (Technology barrier)
Technology inadequately maintained - 9.5% (Technology barrier)
Insufficient connectivity - 7.4% (Technology barrier)

A couple of take aways for me from this list and the presenters discussion of it. The first is that three of the top four barriers were classified as “district barriers” or things that the district had or had not done that prevented or made implementing distance education difficult for these schools. The second thing that really stood out to me was that the three technology barriers were all at the very bottom of the list, which seems to me to indicate that state and federal programs in the United States have done an adequate job in providing the necessary computer technology and connectivity/bandwidth to access distance education opportunities.

Anyway, you should be able to access both their paper and their PowerPoint slides soon at the National Research Center on Rural Education website:

http://www.nrcres.org/

AERA 2009 - Distance Education in Rural Contexts

2009-04-16T13:49:00.000-04:00

Crossposted from http://virtualschooling.wordpress.com/2009/04/17/aera-2009-distance-education-in-rural-contexts/.

Okay, this is the last post I will be making from the 2009 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, as all of the K-12 Online Learning Presentations have been made. This final post details the comments made by the discussant regarding the final two presentations: Barriers to Distance Education in Rural Schools and Beyond Volunteerism and Good Will: Examining the Commitment of School-Based Teachers to Distance Education. The actual session was:

Distance Education in Rural Contexts

Sponsor:
SIG-Rural Education

Schedule Information:
Scheduled Time: Thu, Apr 16 - 12:25pm - 1:55pm Building/Room: San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina / Newport Beach
Title Displayed in Event Calendar: Distance Education in Rural Contexts

Session Participants:
Barriers to Distance Education in Rural Schools
*Matthew J. Irvin (University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill), Wallace Hannum (University of North Carolina), Claire de la Varre (University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill)
Beyond Volunteerism and Good Will: Examining the Commitment of School-Based Teachers to Distance Education
*Dennis M. Mulcahy (Memorial University - Newfoundland), *Michael Kristopher Barbour (Wayne State University)
Distance, Climate, Demographics, and the Development of Online Courses in Newfoundland and Labrador
*Scott Reid (University of Ottawa)
Teacher’s Experiences of Rural School Reorganization
*Catherine Savage (Victoria University, Australia)

Discussant: Kevin Patrick Brady (North Carolina State University)
Chair: Michael Kristopher Barbour (Wayne State University)

As I mentioned above, you can see some of the information about the first two at Barriers to Distance Education in Rural Schools and Beyond Volunteerism and Good Will: Examining the Commitment of School-Based Teachers to Distance Education. The description of the third and fourth presentations were:

Distance, Climate, Demographics, and the Development of Online Courses in Newfoundland and Labrador

One of the assertions of the Actor Network Theory is that physical factors can be actors within a network of other factors which determine the development and use of technology. This paper documents the impact of climate, distance and demographics on the adoption of online courses at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada. The qualitative study demonstrates that these physical factors did influence professor’s decisions to use online courses. The findings support the Actor Network Theory and provide insight into the interaction of physical and human actors within a network that facilitated the adoption of online courses at the university being studied.

Teacher’s Experiences of Rural School Reorganization

An oversupply of rural schools in some areas increases the likelihood of school mergers to create more efficient and effective provision of schooling. This research investigated a rural school reorganization led by the New Zealand Ministry of Education. Interviews with 6 teachers were held on three separate occasions throughout 10 months of the reorganization process. The interviews were analysed using content analysis and conclusions were reached using an inductive method of categorising. The impact of reorganization on teacher’s personal and professional lives is significant and unique to the process of change. Further research in policy design and implementation is required to ensure future rural school reorganizations are successful.

The discussant’s comments were focused, as he mentioned a couple of overall themes and them provided each of the presenters with some specific feedback.

In discussing the first K-12 Online Learning Presentations, Barriers to Distance Education in Rural Schools, the discussant was pleased to see that the general availability in rural areas was high - particularly in North Carolina, where both the presenters and the discussants were from. It was particularly promising to see that technology issues were rated as very low, something which the discussant attributed to the various federal and state programs that have been put in place to bring Internet access to rural communities. In beginning to transition to his discussion of my own paper, he specifically noted a personnel barriers (although not one of the ones brought up by the presenters) - the need or difficulty in getting highly qualified teachers and administrators in rural areas and how the distance education to provide access to these personnel lacks from of the personal connection, so distance teachers have to work harder to build relationships with students and schools.

In his discussion of my paper, Beyond Volunteerism and Good Will: Examining the Commitment of School-Based Teachers to Distance Education, he spoke about the fact that local personnel is critical to the successful implementation of any program, distance education or otherwise. And that having good local personnel is largely dependent upon providing proper professional development and an adequate commitment of time for that personnel.

As the other two presentations did not deal with K-12 Online Learning I did not take notes for his comments about them - but if you’re reading this Kevin feel free to add them in the comments area.

Overall, the discussant felt that all four presentations showed great promise for distance education as a way to meet the challenges facing rural schools. He also felt that more research was needed into the personnel barriers, as he felt that they were both complex and multifaceted.

AERA 2009 - Beyond Volunteerism and Good Will: Examining the Commitment of School-Based Teachers to Distance Education

2009-04-16T13:47:00.000-04:00

Crossposted from http://virtualschooling.wordpress.com/2009/04/17/aera-2009-beyond-volunteerism-and-good-will-examining-the-commitment-of-school-based-teachers-to-distance-education/.

The last K-12 Online Learning Presentations at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association was one of my own:

Beyond Volunteerism and Good Will: Examining the Commitment of School-Based Teachers to Distance Education

Schedule Information:
Scheduled Time: Thu, Apr 16 - 12:25pm - 1:55pm Building/Room: San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina / Newport Beach
In Session: Distance Education in Rural Contexts

Authors:
Dennis M. Mulcahy (Memorial University - Newfoundland)
Michael Kristopher Barbour (Wayne State University)

Abstract: Two decades ago Newfoundland and Labrador introduced distance education in the K-12 environment. The program focused upon providing advanced-level courses to rural school students, and worked largely due to the widely known, but rarely documented significant amounts of content-based assistance from school based personnel. In the past seven years the province has moved to a virtual school model of distance education and more rural schools find that they must rely upon this virtual school to offer academic-level courses to students with a wide range of abilities. This has created many new responsibilities for teachers that have also gone undocumented. This study will begin to document the duties and time required to provide support for this new models of distance education.

As I was the one delivering this, I don’t have notes to share. But you can access the PowerPoint slides of my presentation at:

http://www.michaelbarbour.com/research/pubs/aera-2009_m-teacher.pdf

AERA 2009 - Rurality and Virtual School Environments: An Analysis of Student and Teacher Expectations

2009-04-15T10:06:00.000-04:00

Crossposted from http://virtualschooling.wordpress.com/2009/04/16/aera-2009-rurality-and-virtual-school-environments-an-analysis-of-student-and-teacher-expectations/.

As I mentioned in the previous entry (see AERA 2009 - Virtual School Student Performance in a Rural and Remote Jurisdiction), I didn’t get much of Kevin’s session, but I did get his hand-out and had a quick conversation related to his roundtable.

Rurality and Virtual School Environments: An Analysis of Student and Teacher Expectations

Schedule Information:
Scheduled Time: Wed, Apr 15 - 12:25pm - 1:05pm Building/Room: San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina / Marriott Hall Salon 4
In Session: Rurality, Community, and Education

Authors:
Kevin Patrick Brady (North Carolina State University)
Kevin M. Oliver (North Carolina State University)
Ruchi Patel (North Carolina State University)
Jason W. Osborne (North Carolina State University)

Abstract: A mixed methods evaluation was conducted of the new North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) analyzing student and teacher expectations in virtual school environments. In this proposal, special attention is given to the impact of rurality on student and teacher expectations associated with virtual schools. North Carolina is currently one of twelve states where rural children comprise a majority of the students attending the state’s public elementary and secondary schools. Based on this proposal, study findings can be used to establish the expectations for online teachers and students taking online courses as well as help design effective professional development experiences that adequately prepare teachers to undertake divergent roles unique to online instruction in rural communities.

In the survey they completed, there were only three of the thirteen statements were there was a statistically significant difference between the urban and rural responses.

Administrators at my school are enthusiastic to promote NCVPS and LEO to the benefit of student’s 21st Century education
My school emphasizes how online courses can be accommodating for different knowledge levels.
Coaching and student support on efficiency and online course management is adequate at my school.

In all three instances the mean response from the rural participants was higher than the urban participants.

If any of the presenters are reading this and they want to add more, feel free to add it in the comments area - cause I know this is very bare bones based on about five minutes of conversation.

AERA 2009 - Virtual School Student Performance in a Rural and Remote Jurisdiction

2009-04-15T10:05:00.001-04:00

Crossposted from http://virtualschooling.wordpress.com/2009/04/16/aera-2009-virtual-school-student-performance-in-a-rural-and-remote-jurisdiction/.

Still with the oddness of the day, I missed most of Kevin’s roundtable session, Rurality and Virtual School Environments: An Analysis of Student and Teacher Expectations (although I did get some notes from him), as again I had a roundtable of my own.

Virtual School Student Performance in a Rural and Remote Jurisdiction

Schedule Information:
Scheduled Time: Wed, Apr 15 - 12:25pm - 1:05pm Building/Room: San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina / Marriott Hall Salon 4
In Session: Rurality, Community, and Education

Authors:
Dennis M. Mulcahy (Memorial University - Newfoundland)
Michael Kristopher Barbour (Wayne State University)

Abstract: As out-migration continues to ravage rural regions in Newfoundland and Labrador, more rural schools are relying upon the province’s virtual high school to offer courses students require simply in order to graduate. The concern is that virtual school, and K-12 distance education in general, has been shown to be an effect alternative for a select group of students. With a wider range of students forced into this largely independent learning environment, research must be undertaken to ensure that all students are being accommodating. This study proposes to address this gap by examining student enrollment patterns and performance levels in virtual schooling in the province’s most remote school district.

As I was the one delivering this, I don’t have notes to share. But you can access the PowerPoint slides of my presentation at:

http://www.michaelbarbour.com/research/pubs/aera_2009-lsd.pdf

More from the 2009 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association regarding the K-12 online learning presentations (see here and here) in a moment.

JRRE Article Publication Announcement

2009-03-27T17:13:00.001-04:00

The Journal of Research in Rural Education is pleased to announce the publication of vol. 24, no. 6, Willingness to Fund Public Education in a Rural, Retirement Destination County, by Christopher D. Clark, Dayton M. Lambert, William M. Park, and Michael D. Wilcox.

Vol. 24, no. 6 may be accessed at: http://jrre.psu.edu/articles/24-6.pdf

The Journal's web page may be accessed on line at: http://jrre.psu.edu/

* * * * * *
The Journal of Research in Rural Education publishes research that is of demonstrable relevance to educational issues within rural settings. JRRE welcomes single-study investigations, historical and philosophical analyses, research syntheses, theoretical pieces, and policy analyses from multiple disciplinary perspectives. We welcome manuscripts concerning learning and instruction; preservice and inservice teacher education; educational leadership; educational policy; rural education and community development, and the cultural, historical, and economic context of rural education. Brief commentary on recently published JRRE articles is also appropriate.

Kai Schafft
Assistant Professor
Director, Center on Rural Education and Communities
http://www.ed.psu.edu/crec/home.htm
Editor, Journal of Research in Rural Education
http://jrre.psu.edu
Department of Education Policy Studies
The Pennsylvania State University
310B Rackley Building
University Park, PA 16802-3200

PH: 814-863-2031
FAX: 814-865-0070

Tags: JRRE, AERA, small schools, rural, education

Rural Reminder(s)

2009-02-23T13:02:00.002-05:00

Because the new stimulus monies will be disbursed according to existing federal formulas, and because Title I monies in particular are distributed based on formulas that tend to favor districts with large numbers (rather than high percentages) of low-income students, the funding disparities between rural and other districts are expected to increase. Learn more at Education Week.

In other news, the draft National Rural Education Policy Agenda has been released for review and feedback. The final draft will be considered for adoption by members of the Rural Education Working Group in April.

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

2009-02-21T14:52:00.001-05:00

Reminder:
The last day to send items for the Rural Education Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association is next Friday, February27. The newsletter will be sent to all Rural Education SIG members before the annual meeting.

Send items to

sharon-dot-spall-at-wku-dot-edu

Thank you,

Sharon

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

JRRE Article Publication Announcement

2009-02-16T16:52:00.001-05:00

The Journal of Research in Rural Education is pleased to announce the publication of vol. 24, no. 5, A Rural High School's Collaborative Approach to School Improvement, by Patti Chance and Susan Segura.

Vol. 24, no. 5 may be accessed at: http://jrre.psu.edu/articles/24-5.pdf

The Journal's web page may be accessed on line at: http://jrre.psu.edu/

* * * * * *
The Journal of Research in Rural Education publishes research that is of demonstrable relevance to educational issues within rural settings. JRRE welcomes single-study investigations, historical and philosophical analyses, research syntheses, theoretical pieces, and policy analyses from multiple disciplinary perspectives. We welcome manuscripts concerning learning and instruction; preservice and inservice teacher education; educational leadership; educational policy; rural education and community development, and the cultural, historical, and economic context of rural education. Brief commentary on recently published JRRE articles is also appropriate.

Kai Schafft
Assistant Professor
Director, Center on Rural Education and Communities
http://www.ed.psu.edu/crec/home.htm
Editor, Journal of Research in Rural Education
http://jrre.psu.edu
Department of Education Policy Studies
The Pennsylvania State University
310B Rackley Building
University Park, PA 16802-3200

PH: 814-863-2031
FAX: 814-865-1480

Tags: JRRE, AERA, small schools, rural, education

JRRE Article Publication Announcement

2009-02-09T16:11:00.000-05:00

The Journal of Research in Rural Education is pleased to announce the publication of vol. 24, no. 4, Rural Schools and the Highly Qualified Teacher Provision of No Child Left Behind: A Critical Policy Analysis, by Karen Eppley.

Vol. 24, no. 4 may be accessed at: http://jrre.psu.edu/articles/24-4.pdf

The Journal's web page may be accessed on line at: http://jrre.psu.edu/

* * * * * *
The Journal of Research in Rural Education publishes research that is of demonstrable relevance to educational issues within rural settings. JRRE welcomes single-study investigations, historical and philosophical analyses, research syntheses, theoretical pieces, and policy analyses from multiple disciplinary perspectives. We welcome manuscripts concerning learning and instruction; preservice and inservice teacher education; educational leadership; educational policy; rural education and community development, and the cultural, historical, and economic context of rural education. Brief commentary on recently published JRRE articles is also appropriate.

Kai Schafft
Assistant Professor
Director, Center on Rural Education and Communities
http://www.ed.psu.edu/crec/home.htm
Editor, Journal of Research in Rural Education
http://jrre.psu.edu
Department of Education Policy Studies
The Pennsylvania State University
310B Rackley Building
University Park, PA 16802-3200

PH: 814-863-2031
FAX: 814-865-0070

Tags: JRRE, AERA, small schools, rural, education

Newletter Items

2009-02-05T15:12:00.001-05:00

Hello,

The newsletter for the AERA Rural Education Special interest group will be sent to members the early in March. Please send items you would like to include in this edition as soon as possible. Send the items from now until February 27. February 27 is the last day for items. I will send one reminder.

As usual, this edition will have a daily schedule of the Rural Education events and other items of interest to the members.

Thank you for you attention to this notice.

Sharon Spall
sharon-dot-spall-at-wku-dot-edu

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

Rural Reminder

2009-02-05T09:45:00.003-05:00

On Tuesday, February 3, Congressman Phil Hare (D-IL) announced that he formed the House Rural Education Caucus with co-chairs Congressman Sam Graves (R-MO) and Congressman Earl Pomeroy (D-ND).

The goal of this bipartisan caucus is to help members of Congress more effectively address the educational needs of rural students, schools, and communities. The caucus will host briefings, lobby for legislation, and make sure the needs of rural schools are communicated. The group currently has 15 members. (I haven't seen an announcement about the formation of the Senate Rural Education Caucus yet, but have heard that it is in the works.)

On February 2 and 3, members of the National Rural Education Association (NREA) Executive Committee met with the National Rural Education Advocacy Coalition (NREAC) comprised of various state and national rural education organizations to establish a legislative agenda for this year. NREAC met with panels of staff members from Congressional offices in both houses to discuss education issues and their rural implications. On Tuesday, members of the NREA Executive Committee made presentations to the newly formed House Rural Education and the Senate Rural Education Caucuses.

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

JRRE Article Publication Announcement

2009-02-03T11:58:00.000-05:00

The Journal of Research in Rural Education is pleased to announce the publication of vol. 24, no. 3, Distance Education Use in Rural Schools, by Wallace Hannum, Matthew Irvin, Jonathan Banks, and Thomas Farmer.

Vol. 24, no. 3 may be accessed at: http://jrre.psu.edu/articles/24-3.pdf

The Journal's web page may be accessed on line at: http://jrre.psu.edu/

* * * * * *
The Journal of Research in Rural Education publishes research that is of demonstrable relevance to educational issues within rural settings. JRRE welcomes single-study investigations, historical and philosophical analyses, research syntheses, theoretical pieces, and policy analyses from multiple disciplinary perspectives. We welcome manuscripts concerning learning and instruction; preservice and inservice teacher education; educational leadership; educational policy; rural education and community development, and the cultural, historical, and economic context of rural education. Brief commentary on recently published JRRE articles is also appropriate.

Kai Schafft
Assistant Professor
Director, Center on Rural Education and Communities
http://www.ed.psu.edu/crec/home.htm
Editor, Journal of Research in Rural Education
http://jrre.psu.edu
Department of Education Policy Studies
The Pennsylvania State University
310B Rackley Building
University Park, PA 16802-3200

PH: 814-863-2031
FAX: 814-865-1480

Tags: JRRE, AERA, small schools, rural, education

JRRE Article Publication Announcement

2009-01-30T14:15:00.000-05:00

The Journal of Research in Rural Education is pleased to announce the publication of vol. 24, no. 2, Local Democracy, Rural Community, and Participatory School Governance, by Gaysu Arvind.

Vol. 24, no. 2 may be accessed at: http://jrre.psu.edu/articles/24-2.pdf

The Journal's web page may be accessed on line at: http://jrre.psu.edu/

* * * * * *
The Journal of Research in Rural Education publishes research that is of demonstrable relevance to educational issues within rural settings. JRRE welcomes single-study investigations, historical and philosophical analyses, research syntheses, theoretical pieces, and policy analyses from multiple disciplinary perspectives. We welcome manuscripts concerning learning and instruction; preservice and inservice teacher education; educational leadership; educational policy; rural education and community development, and the cultural, historical, and economic context of rural education. Brief commentary on recently published JRRE articles is also appropriate.

Kai Schafft
Assistant Professor
Director, Center on Rural Education and Communities
http://www.ed.psu.edu/crec/home.htm
Editor, Journal of Research in Rural Education
http://jrre.psu.edu
Department of Education Policy Studies
The Pennsylvania State University
310B Rackley Building
University Park, PA 16802-3200

PH: 814-863-2031
FAX: 814-865-0070

Tags: JRRE, AERA, small schools, rural, education

White House Farmer

2009-01-29T14:11:00.003-05:00

There's always been a White House chef. Now is the time for a White House farmer, says this website requesting nominations and votes for the yet-to-be-established position!

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

Rural Reminder

2009-01-29T11:10:00.003-05:00

In 2007, the REL Southwest published an analysis of the various government definitions of rural and their implications for education policy. As we consider the possibility of "rural revitalization" under the new administration, this report might be pertinent.

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education

JRRE Article Publication Announcement

2009-01-23T14:56:00.001-05:00

The Journal of Research in Rural Education is pleased to announce the publication of vol. 24, no. 1, Case Study of Leadership Practices and School-Community Interrelationships in High-Performing, High-Poverty, Rural California High Schools, by Marcia Masumoto and Sharon Brown-Welty.

Vol. 24, no. 1 may be accessed at: http://jrre.psu.edu/articles/24-1.pdf

The Journal's web page may be accessed on line at: http://jrre.psu.edu/

* * * * * *
The Journal of Research in Rural Education publishes research that is of demonstrable relevance to educational issues within rural settings. JRRE welcomes single-study investigations, historical and philosophical analyses, research syntheses, theoretical pieces, and policy analyses from multiple disciplinary perspectives. We welcome manuscripts concerning learning and instruction; preservice and inservice teacher education; educational leadership; educational policy; rural education and community development, and the cultural, historical, and economic context of rural education. Brief commentary on recently published JRRE articles is also appropriate.

Kai Schafft
Assistant Professor
Director, Center on Rural Education and Communities
http://www.ed.psu.edu/crec/home.htm
Editor, Journal of Research in Rural Education
http://jrre.psu.edu
Department of Education Policy Studies
The Pennsylvania State University
310B Rackley Building
University Park, PA 16802-3200
PH: 814-863-2031
FAX: 814-865-0070

Trudi Haupt, Staff Assistant
College Student Affairs Program
Center on Rural Education and Communities
Penn State
300 Rackley Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-3449
www.ed.psu.edu/csa/

Tags: JRRE, AERA, small schools, rural, education

FW: 2009 Australian National Rural Education Conference

2008-12-19T09:46:00.002-05:00

Dear Fellow Rural Educator,

The Society for the Provision of Education in Rural Australia (SPERA) will be holding its 25^th National Conference in July 2009.

Please find attached the Call for Papers and Guideline for submission. Additional information can be obtained from the SPERA website: www.spera.edu.au

I write to ask you support in sending the information about this Australian Rural Education Conference to your colleague.

Please find a summary of information about the conference below:

The 2009 SPERA Conference will be held at Flinders University in South Australia from 8-10 July 2009. The theme of the conference builds on the 2008 Melbourne Conference -

Education in A Digital Present: Enriching Rural Communities.

You are invited to submit an abstract outlining your proposed paper or presentation – topic; context; type of paper presentation e.g. Powerpoint; refereed paper; non refereed paper; other and presenter(s) Please limit abstracts to a maximum of 300 words.

An official “call for papers” is attached for you outlining relevant topics.

Attached also are the Guidelines for both refereed and non-refereed papers.

Important dates:

Deadline for submission of abstracts and proposals February 6 2009

Notice of acceptance and invitation to prepare final paper February 20 2009

Deadline for submission of full papers requiring refereeing March 27 2009
Deadline for submission of full paper not requiring refereeing May 1 2009

Thank you

Colin Boylan, PhD

Senior Lecturer in Education

Associate Director, Consortium for Rural Social Research

Phone (02) 6933-2495

Fax (02) 6933-2888

call for papers.pdf

2009 National Rural Education Conference
8-10 July 2009 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Education in A
Digital Present:
Enriching Rural
Communities
• Strategies & tools for
effective on-line / digital
learning / teaching
• Using technology
creatively
• Supporting rural students
• Students & learning
• Case studies / research /
practical advice/real-life
examples etc
• Blended learning

CALL FOR PAPERS
Submission of Abstracts
Abstracts and papers are to be written in English. The abstract should contain clear
information about the aims, nature and content of the paper and, where applicable, a brief
statement of results and implications. It should not exceed one A4 page in length (300-500
words, 11 pt Times). Both the title of the paper/ presentation and the names of the
authors(s) should be included.

Evaluation of Abstracts
After review by the program committee, notification of whether the paper has been accepted
will be sent to the author(s), at which time successful presenters will be asked for their audio
visual requirements.

Refereeing of Papers:
For Australian presenters, conference papers can be refereed to comply with the
requirements for DEST E1 Conference paper status. Presenters requiring papers to be
refereed must make this request when the abstract is submitted.

Important dates:
Deadline for submission of abstracts and proposals February 6 2009
Notice of acceptance and invitation to prepare final paper February 20 2009
Deadline for submission of full papers requiring refereeing March 27 2009
Deadline for submission of full paper not requiring refereeing May 1 2009

Conference Contact Details:
Conference Papers Coordinator Conference details
Dr Colin Boylan Visit: www.spera.edu.au
Phone (02) 6933-2495
Email: cboylan@csu.edu.au

SPERA 2009 Refereed Paper dates and Formatting guidelines (2).doc

Society for the Provision of Education in Rural Australia Inc.

Guidelines for written presentation of refereed papers

The submission deadline for refereed papers is 27 March 2009.

The preferred word processing package is Microsoft WORD 2003. Your paper must be saved in Rich Text Format (RTF) and be submitted to the SPERA website via presenter log-on and then upload your full paper. Do not save your article in pdf format.

The maximum file size for your uploaded full refereed paper is 3MB. If your paper is greater in size, please contact Colin Boylan directly at: cboylan@csu.edu.au

The text of the paper is to be 11 point and all text typed in TIMES New Roman font.

Papers should be no longer than fifteen (15) A4 pages at single spacing, including tables, figures, diagrams, references, and appendices.

The text of the paper must be left and right justified.

Page margins must be 2.5cm left and right, plus 2.0cm top.

The paper title is to be typed in 14 point and bold. The author(s) and affiliation(s) are to be typed in 12 point and bold.

An abstract should be indented 1cm at both left and right hand margins.

Use 11 point bold for sub-headings within the text. Use 11 point bold or italics for emphasis - not underlining. The use of footnotes is to be avoided.

Graphs, tables and diagrams should be included at the place in the text of the paper where you wish them to appear.

References must be included at the end of the paper in alphabetical order. The same spacing as used in the text of the paper is to be used. The APA (5^th Edition) system is to be used.

References in the text of the paper should give the author's name and year of publication in brackets eg (Brown, 1996).

References to a book are to include - author's surname, initials, year of publication (bracketed), title of book (italicised), where published, publisher's name. For example, Brown, C. (1996). Rural schools. Wagga Wagga: Oxford Press.

References from journals are to include - author's surname, initials, year of publication (bracketed), title of article, journal title (italicised), volume, number (bracketed), page reference. For example, Boylan, C. (1996). Practice teaching in a distance education centre. Education in Rural Australia, 6(1), 37-41.

References to a web site are to include, if available - author’s surname, initials, date (bracketed), title of document, date document was viewed, and URL of the site. For example, Smith, L. (2002) The rural landscape. http://www.ruraleducation.nsw.gov.au/html. (Accessed 10th May 2009)

Additional advice: Contact Colin Boylan at cboylan@csu.edu.au or Phone (02) 6933-2495

Papers included in the Conference Proceedings become the copyright of the Society for the Provision of Education in Rural Australia Inc.

SPERA 2009 Non Refereed paper dates and formatting guidelines (2) (2).doc

Society for the Provision of Education in Rural Australia Inc.

Guidelines for written presentation of non-refereed papers

The submission deadline for non-refereed papers is 1 May 2009.

The preferred word processing package is Microsoft WORD 2003. Your paper must be saved in Rich Text Format (RTF) and be submitted to the SPERA website via presenter log-on and then upload your full paper. Do not save your article in pdf format.

The maximum file size for your uploaded full refereed paper is 3MB. If your paper is greater in size, please contact Colin Boylan directly at: cboylan@csu.edu.au

The text of the paper is to be 11 point and all text typed in TIMES New Roman font.

Papers should be no longer than fifteen (15) A4 pages at single spacing, including tables, figures, diagrams, references, and appendices.

The text of the paper must be left and right justified.

Page margins must be 2.5cm left and right, plus 2.0cm top.

The paper title is to be typed in 14 point and bold. The author(s) and affiliation(s) are to be typed in 12 point and bold.

An abstract should be indented 1cm at both left and right hand margins.

Use 11 point bold for sub-headings within the text. Use 11 point bold or italics for emphasis - not underlining. The use of footnotes is to be avoided.

Graphs, tables and diagrams should be included at the place in the text of the paper where you wish them to appear.

References must be included at the end of the paper in alphabetical order. The same spacing as used in the text of the paper is to be used. The APA (5^th Edition) system is to be used.

References in the text of the paper should give the author's name and year of publication in brackets eg (Brown, 1996).

References to a book are to include - author's surname, initials, year of publication (bracketed), title of book (italicised), where published, publisher's name. For example, Brown, C. (1996). Rural schools. Wagga Wagga: Oxford Press.

References from journals are to include - author's surname, initials, year of publication (bracketed), title of article, journal title (italicised), volume, number (bracketed), page reference. For example, Boylan, C. (1996). Practice teaching in a distance education centre. Education in Rural Australia, 6(1), 37-41.

References to a web site are to include, if available - author’s surname, initials, date (bracketed), title of document, date document was viewed, and URL of the site. For example, Smith, L. (2002) The rural landscape. http://www.ruraleducation.nsw.gov.au/html. (Accessed 10th May 2009)

Additional advice: Contact Colin Boylan at cboylan@csu.edu.au or Phone (02) 6933-2495

Papers included in the Conference Proceedings become the copyright of the Society for the Provision of Education in Rural Australia Inc.

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education, SPERA, Australian National Rural Education Conference

Rural Reminder

2008-12-10T11:29:00.003-05:00

According to the August 2008 issue of District Administration, the mean of average rural superintendent salaries is far below that of small town, suburban, and urban superintendents'. In large urban areas, the mean of the average salary of superintendents is $218, 879; in medium urban areas, $176,274; in the suburbs, $165,101; and in small towns, $126,225. The mean of average salaries for rural superintendents is $96,942.

Tags: AERA, small schools, rural, education