Decision-Making Quandaries That Superintendents Face in Their Work in Small School Districts Building Democratic Communities

2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 210-236
Author(s):  
Debra Touchton ◽  
Michele Acker-Hocevar
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Small School ◽  
Small School Districts ◽  
Democratic Communities

Toward a System of Evidence for All: Current Practices and Future Opportunities in 37 Randomized Trials

2020 ◽  
pp. 0013189X2096068 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Tipton ◽  
Jessaca Spybrook ◽  
Kaitlyn G. Fitzgerald ◽  
Qian Wang ◽  
Caryn Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Randomized Trials ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Small School ◽  
Small School Districts ◽  
Cluster Randomized ◽  
Evidence Based Decision Making

As a result of the evidence-based decision-making movement, the number of randomized trials evaluating educational programs and curricula has increased dramatically over the past 20 years. Policy makers and practitioners are encouraged to use the results of these trials to inform their decision making in schools and school districts. At the same time, however, little is known about the schools taking part in these randomized trials, both regarding how and why they were recruited and how they compare to populations in need of research. In this article, we report on a study of 37 cluster randomized trials funded by the Institute of Education Sciences between 2011 and 2015. Principal investigators of these grants were interviewed regarding the recruitment process and practices. Additionally, data on the schools included in 34 of these studies were analyzed to determine the general demographics of schools included in funded research, as well as how these samples compare to important policy relevant populations. We show that the types of schools included in research differ in a variety of ways from these populations. Large schools from large school districts in urban areas were overrepresented, whereas schools from small school districts in rural areas and towns are underrepresented. The article concludes with a discussion of how recruitment practices might be improved in order to meet the goals of the evidence-based decision-making movement.

scholarly journals Space and Place in Rural Program Implementation

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Allen ◽  
J. Kessa Roberts
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Program Implementation ◽  
Space And Place ◽  
Early College ◽  
Small School ◽  
Small School Districts ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Place And Space ◽  
State Programs ◽  
Implementation Plans

Employing concepts of place and space, we consider the implementation of Early College initiatives in two small school districts in Ohio, situated in very different regions of the state. One is a rural district near the foothills of Appalachia, and the other is a small town district on the shores of Lake Erie. The paper examines data collected through a state-wide evaluation project. Our analysis suggests that where a school is located matters to the kinds of resources, opportunities and constrains it has for implementing state programs. Resources like transportation, access to college partners, and even proximity to other school districts made important differences to how these school districts implemented the Early College program. Given the variable conditions of school districts in Ohio and other states with a large number of rural and small city school districts, state policy makers should consider flexible implementation plans and variable levels of support.

Specific and Diversive Curiosity in Gifted Elementary Students

1992 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 463-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leigh Johnson ◽  
John Beer
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Elementary Students ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Small School ◽  
Small School Districts ◽  
North Central ◽  
Maze Test ◽  
Diversive Curiosity

Twenty-nine gifted students in Grades 2 to 6 from the small school districts in north central Kansas completed the Maze test and the Which-to-Discuss test. Background information such as age, sex, grade, and marital status of parents was also collected. There were no significant differences between boys and girls or for students from divorced and nondivorced parents on either the Which-to-Discuss test (specific curiosity) or the Maze test scores (diversive curiosity). The students scored significantly higher on the former test than chance guessing which suggests the students were displaying specific curiosity. Scores of these gifted students on these two tests of curiosity were significantly and positively correlated.

Transition Practices and Employment Outcomes in Rural Wisconsin

1994 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 3-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jo Anna Spruill ◽  
Matthew Kallio
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Vocational Education ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Employment Outcomes ◽  
The State ◽  
Secondary Transition ◽  
Small School ◽  
Small School Districts ◽  
Mild Disabilities

Two research studies were carried out in rural locations in the state of Wisconsin. The first study was a survey of secondary transition and vocational education practices in fifteen small school districts. The second study was a survey of employment outcomes of former students with mild disabilities from the same districts. Strengths and weaknesses in service delivery were identified and discussed in response to student outcomes. This article concludes with recommended activities that teachers can implement to meet student transitional needs.

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