This study explored the barriers and facilitators to outdoor learning and outdoor activities in a small K–12 case school in rural Maine. The case school was a positive outlier (PO), providing significant outdoor learning and activity opportunities to all students during the school day. Outdoor learning and outdoor pursuits in school settings can increase student physical activity, provide opportunities for students to reap the mental and emotional benefits from time in nature, and help them make important connections to local culture. The positive outlier methodological approach sought to uncover reasons for the case school’s PO status and find practical strategies that could be useful to other rural schools seeking to increase outdoor learning. The PO case school was identified following surveys of administrators and physical education teachers of all K–12 inclusive schools in Maine. The PO school took part in the next phase of the study, including multiple interviews with educators and administrators, a site visit, and administration of two components of the Rural Active Living Assessment. A case narrative for the PO was created from the collected data. We found that incorporating outdoor learning time during the regular school day and curriculum was an important facilitator. In addition, providing outdoor learning related professional development opportunities and curricular connections for teachers, strategizing long-term program sustainability, and connecting outdoor curricula to the local culture were critical in supporting this work.
The roles of school building and district administrators in rural areas have expanded in the last decade. Expanded responsibilities are amplified in rural school districts where there are fewer administrators to assume a multiplicity of roles. Additionally, educator shortages make it increasingly challenging to recruit and retain school leaders. While larger school districts in metropolitan areas have developed ongoing professional development and support programs to help school leaders meet the ever shifting and complex expectations placed upon them, school administrators in relatively rural regions receive less support. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore leadership constructs believed to influence development of school leaders’ administrative, adaptive, and enabling leadership behaviors and outputs in largely rural contexts.
This article explores the adoption and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) within rural education, with a specific focus on the rural context of Idaho. While AI offers new possibilities for educational transformation, its implementation in rural schools presents unique paradoxes. Using a mixed-methods approach involving a statewide survey, working focus groups, and associated documents, this study investigates how AI can empower and challenge rural educational practices. Drawing on Rogers’s diffusion of innovations theory, we illuminate the AI opportunities and barriers perceived by rural education stakeholders. We conclude by discussing implications for advocacy, policy, practice, and research to ensure just and equitable futures for rural education amid rapid AI change.
This study investigated how 133 educators in six rural schools experience and address youth mental health challenges and the adaptations they use to meet students’ needs. Interview and focus group data were examined through the lens of rural community wealth to draw attention to the ways educators support their students and the resources on which they draw in their efforts. Findings illustrate that rural educators shift to providing as many services to students as possible on their school campuses; increase the capacity of staff members to address students’ mental health through targeted professional development and training; and integrate social-emotional learning into curricula and programming across content areas. While not discounting the very real obstacles educators face, we highlight the strengths and assets that educators employ to address their students’ mental health challenges. This article concludes with implications for educators, policymakers, and mental health professionals who work in rural locations.
Addressing the gender gap in engineering necessitates a thorough understanding of self-efficacy, and this study specifically focused on engineering self-efficacy of adolescent girls in secondary school. It identifies patterns linking rural students’ engineering self-efficacy to other areas of their lives to unearth trends for students with high engineering self-efficacy that could be used to help overcome this gender gap. The study used a mixed-methods instrumental case study approach and clarified the relationships between high engineering self-efficacy and various aspects of life for rural students, such as academic performance, extracurricular activities, and implicit gender beliefs, thus offering critical insights for educational improvements and future research directives. The analysis of survey data from students undertaking engineering electives in a rural Ohio school district led to the identification of key factors for curriculum development, including the need for project optimization to create a balance between challenge and success, the provision of targeted support and feedback, ensuring content relevance for a diverse student population, and establishing a robust foundation of technology skills. Notably, the study unearthed a significant relationship between adolescent girls showcasing high engineering self-efficacy and their readiness to engage in rigorous efforts to attain their goals. Conclusively, the findings suggest that rural educators need to be cognizant of their curriculum and interactions to nurture students’ self-efficacy, with a call for more research into the association between perseverance and high engineering self-efficacy among adolescent girls in rural contexts.
