Reinventing the Rural Classroom

Exploring the Problems of Rural Education at the Classroom Level

Problems facing rural education:

George Norris: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=I9cgWsR5i3U

IntroductionIn the age of consolidation, economic instability,

and increasing urbanization, it’s easy to forget about our rural neighbors.

There isn’t just one definition for a “rural community.” They are as diverse and differentiated as our cities.

Since most rural areas are relatively small groupings of politically inactive communities, policy has failed to address rural education’s unique challenges.

In this presentation:

Discuss PBL and recount a success storyDiscuss community schools and give an

examplePoint out the common threads along with

references for further reading. Discuss the biases and lack of research in regard

to rural education.

Place-Based EducationDefinition:

An educational approach that makes the school a vital resource for the community and, in this process, creates a new real-world context for learning.

Why rural schools?Utilizes a strong local culture.Fosters community involvement.Addresses the unique problems

rural communities face.(“Place-based learning offers,” 2011)

PBL ChallengesConsolidation

Bussing students to more urban districts takes away the community emphasis needed for place-based education.

State-Wide Standards Focus on a curriculum for all students takes away the

context of the community and the school’s importance in that community.

Underfunding Hard recruit qualified teachers. Pay-for-performance initiatives make rural, underfunded

schools with low test scores an unattractive option.(Jennings, N., Swindler, S, & Koliba, C., 2005) (“Place-based learning offers, 2011)

Successful Stories:Rappahannock County High

School

Questions to ask before starting PBL.

“What are the needs and interests of the community?

How can the school meet them?Can we meet them while teaching the required

academic content?Would the work be appreciated in the

community?Would the work be competitive with something

else in the community?” (Making the school useful, 2006)

What are the needs and interests of the

community?

Desire to have more community involvement and a more connected society.

Push for going organic and supporting local farms.

A push for less tracking but more integrated vocational education.

(Making the school useful, 2006)

How can the school meet them?

Farm-to-TableCulinary ArtsGeospatial Technologies

ClassRCHS GreenhouseEMT Training/Daytime

ProvidersBuilding Trades

(Making the school useful, 2006)

Can we meet them while teaching the required academic

content? School Day Structure:

4x4 semester-long block schedule Off campus in community sites part of every day Extensive liability policies and parent involvement

Vocational Classes “Integrated with academic content” Reduced tracking because all students take vocational classes AND

college prep courses. The Teachers

Create curriculum hat focuses on needs of community Extensive appreciation from community Mini-grants from Headwaters to encourage innovative classroom

initiatives and support professional development. (Making the school useful, 2006)

What can other rural schools learn?

Open-mindednessCommunity-school partnership needs collaboration

from a lot of different kinds of people.Expectations and Standards

Develop content applicable to the real-world.Make standards high and give extensive support to

ensure they meet them.Teachers

Support them emotionally and financially whenever possible

(Making the school useful, 2006)

More on Project-Based Learning

The New Country School, Minnesota (Not included in presentation because it is a

charter school)http://www.whatkidscando.org/archives/

portfoliosmallschools/MNCS.html

Community Schools

Not just a curriculum:a center for community

life.

Community SchoolsThey are schools that serve both the student

body and the school.Become a hub for community life through

support programs and active investment.Useful for rural areas because they are a place

to congregate in a sprawling rural area. A collaborative space between the community

and the student-body.

(Williams, D.T., 2010)

Nobel High School, York County, ME

What are the needs and interests of the

community?Poverty level skewed because of proximity to

Kennebunkport.1070 students attending a school built for 550.Sprawling land without enough transportation.Lack of health care, early childhood programs,

adult education.

(Williams, D.T., 2010)

How can the school meet them?

Planning committee decided to design a school that:Builds a sense of community in the 8 towns it

serves.Emphasize community serviceProvide education, child care, and health care

services to all community members. Create small work places that foster collaborative,

project-based learning.

(Williams, D.T., 2010)

Can we meet them while teaching the required

academic content?Focus on Project-Based Learning

Teacher as a facilitatorGroup workActive inquiry and research

Provide real-world experience and academic credit in the established community programs.

The ResultSchool contains:

Health care services. Free early childhood programs Culinary arts program including a 50 person restaurant

open all day. Adult education with free child care Performing arts space

Curriculum: Study opportunities at all of the above 60 hours required community service Project-based learning with presentations

(Williams, D.T., 2010)

What can we learn?Could be a new turnaround plan for rural

schools.Emphasize community involvement including

local teaching certification programs.Joint ownership and membership of school by

community creates a space in which everyone is invested.

(Williams, D.T., 2010)

So…why does this matter?PBL and Community Schools are examples of

successful initiative going on that directly address the problems that face rural education.

They also often include project-based learning, agricultural focus, and many other variables.

Rural schools are unique and the curriculum needs to address these local variations!Not one size fits all!

Common ThreadsKeeping it small and in the community!CollaborationStrong leadership and opennessEmphasis on personalized learningEmphasis on using the resources available

instead of grappling with lack of resources.

Common Threads: Community Involvement

See Studio H in Bertie County, NC:http://www.studio-h.org/

Common Threads:Leadership

See: Masumoto & Brown-Welty (2009)This article investigates the effects of leadership in three

high achieving, high poverty rural schools in California. It discusses an approach to rural education that does not

necessarily revolve around place-based initiatives.Food for Thought:

How did these schools create an environment where leadership could thrive and become a productive force?

How do we get leaders to go to these communities and/or how do we get the leaders already in the community to stand up for education?

Common Threads:Political and Local Agency

Involvement.See Jennings, Swindler, & Koliba (2005)

Discusses how multiple non-profits and other agencies used the standards movement as a way to institutionalized place-based education.

Food for Thought: Since Vermont has a relatively large, politically active rural

population, how can we use their example to help smaller, politically underrepresented communities characteristic of rural areas?

What’s missing?Quantitative research on the effectiveness of PBL

and similar initiatives.Extensive review of literature on PBL.

For some discussion of PBL literature see: Ball & Lai (2006).

Extensive review of rural research and scholarship in general. For an extensive discussion of the state of scholarship

in rural education see DeYoung, (1987)Though relatively old, this article shows some of the

historical trends in rural education research.

References. Ball, E.L., & Lai, A. (2006), Place-based pedagogy for the arts and

humanities. Pedagogy, 6 (2), 261-267.DeYoung, A.J. (1987). The status of American rural education

research: An integrated review and commentary. Review of Education Research, 57 (2), 123-148. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1170233 .

Jennings, N., Swidler, S., & Koliba, C. (2005). Place-based education in the standards-based reform era—Conflict or compliment? American Journal of Education, 112 (1), 44-65. doi:10.1086/444522

Johnson, J., & Strange, M. (2005). Why rural policy matters, 2005: The facts about rural education in the 50 states. Retrieved from Rural School and Community Trust website: http://www.ruraledu.org/articles.php?id=2092.

Making the school useful to the community-- Rappahannock County, Virginia. (2006, April). Rural Policy Matters, 8(4), Retrieved from http://www.ruraledu.org/user_uploads/file/rpm/rpm8_4.pdf

Masumoto, M., & Brown-Welty, S. (2009). Case study of leadership practices and school-community interrelationships in high-performing, high-poverty, rural California high schools. Journal of research in rural education, 24(9). Retrieved from http://jrre.psu.edu/articles/24-1.pd

Place-based learning offers opportunities for high-poverty rural schools. (2011, September).Rural Policy Matters, 13(9), Retrieved from http://www.ruraledu.org/user_uploads/file/rpm/RPM13_09.pdf

Williams, D.T. (2010). The rural solution: How community schools can invigorate rural education. Retrieved from the Center for American Progress website: http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/09/pdf/ruralschools.pdf