Volume 29, Issue 2    Winter 2008

Table of Contents

From the Editor  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  iv

Rural Research Brief:
Missouri-Iowa Science Cooperative (Science Co-op): Rural Schools-Urban Universities Collaborative Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 James A Shymansky, Larry D. Yore, Leonard A. Annetta and Susan A. Everett

ABSTRACT: There is a dearth of studies in science education that are both comprehensive and focused on rural schools. Thus, this brief is in the form of a research report on the impact of an externally funded, five-year professional development project. The project involved approximately 1500 teachers on the student achievement of approximately 20,000 K-6 students in 36 small, rural Midwest school districts. 

A Decade’s Difference?: Research Revisited on Family  Influence of Rural High School Students’ Postsecondary Decisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4
Robert S. Legutko

ABSTRACT: This study is a quantitative descriptive research design which compared 1995 and 2005 data regarding family influence on rural Pennsylvania high school seniors’ postsecondary decisions. A chi-square analysis at p < 0.05 determined that there was (a) an increase in students planning college attendance, (b) a decrease in students not planning postsecondary education or unsure of postsecondary plans, (c) an increase in students planning college attendance who did not have parents with postsecondary schooling, (d) a decrease in students not planning postsecondary education or unsure of postsecondary plans who did not have parents with postsecondary schooling, (e) an increase in lower-middle class students planning to attend college, and (f) a decrease in lower-middle class students not planning postsecondary education or unsure of postsecondary plans. There was no significant difference in students’ postsecondary plans when siblings’ pursuit of postsecondary education was considered. 

Factors Inhibiting Hispanic Parents’ School Involvement  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Jay Smith, Kenneth Stern, and Zhanna Shatrova

ABSTRACT: Factors inhibiting Hispanic parental involvement in non-metropolitan area schools were studied. With the mandates of No Child Left Behind intensifying the need to improve the academic achievement of all at-risk groups of students in American schools, and with the relatively new phenomenon of large numbers of Hispanics settling in non-metropolitan areas, findings of this qualitative study of fifteen Hispanic parents should be highly useful to educators working with Hispanic youth.  Primary factors inhibiting Hispanic parental involvement were the following: the failure of the school to send correspondence, school calendar, lunch menus or newsletters written in Spanish; the inability of the parents to speak and understand English in personal communication with the school, and the reluctance of the parents to question authority or to advocate for the rights of their children.

Can a Week Make a Difference?
Changing Perceptions about Teaching and Living in Rural Alaska . . . . . . . . . . . . .  14 T. R. Munsch and Colin R. Boylan

ABSTRACT: Many Alaskan schools are located in extremely remote or 'fly-in' places. These geographical extremes affect the recruitment and retention of teachers to remote rural schools. Through a partnership between the Southwest Region School District of Alaska and the Department of Education at Alaska Pacific University (APU), 14 pre-service teachers participated in a one-week remote rural practice teaching experience. These APU students lived and taught in village schools where indigenous Alaska Natives were the majority and whose language is Yup’ik. Through the use of pre and post experience questionnaires, the pre-service teachers’ views about rural teaching and seeking rural appointments were sought.

Preparing Teachers for Rural Appointments: Lessons from Australia   . . . . . . . . . . 24 Graeme Lock

ABSTRACT: Education authorities continue to experience difficulty in recruiting and retaining teachers in rural and remote schools. In Western Australia (WA), a state noted for its vastness and number of schools located in rural and remote settings, a scheme developed by the Western Australian Department of Education and Training (DET) and the WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy aims to address this challenge by offering financial support to student teachers who wish to undertake their final practicum in a remote or rural education district in which they hope to work after graduation. The Student Teacher Rural Experience Program (STREP) assists with return travel costs and a weekly stipend for the duration of the practicum. The DET specifies the particular districts to which the STREP will apply and applicants need to satisfy a number of selection criteria. In 2005 a survey involving 2004 and 2005 STREP participants was undertaken to ascertain their opinions about how effective the program was in preparing them to teach in rural locations. This article discusses the quantitative data and participant comments on issues not adequately covered by STREP and how the program might be improved. 

2007 Edward W. Chance Dissertation Award
Rural Teacher Satisfaction: An Analysis of Beliefs and Attitudes of Rural Teachers Job Satisfaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
John T. Huysman

ABSTRACT: This study analyzed teachers’ beliefs and attitudes affecting job satisfaction in one small, rural Florida school district. This mixed methods study included a self-administered survey of Likert-type items measuring 20 factors for job satisfaction and individual semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Several issues related to dissatisfaction surfaced not presented in previous studies. Teachers often found themselves frustrated at work because of conflicting expectations concerning their professional and social roles within the community and perceived that peers or coalitions within the schools possessed undue influence and power. Of most concern to participants was the perception of being unappreciated. This perception was influenced by the collective bargaining process and promoted the perception of a “lack of respect” and an “unhealthy competition” between homegrown and transplanted faculty. Addressing these perceptions afford rural administrators an opportunity to positively influence teacher retention, teacher quality, student achievement, and school climate.

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