Tailoring integrated student supports to rural contexts

Abstract

Rural poverty rises to higher levels than poverty in urban and suburban areas, and rural communities and their schools face greater isolation, which means that families must travel farther than their urban and suburban counterparts to access available services and learning opportunities. Elaine Weiss describes two rural communities, one in Arkansas and another in Kentucky, that provide models for how rural communities might create ways for students and families to access resources that otherwise would be out of reach. Grant funding allowed one district to open up additional spots in a local preschool, while a partner organization in another community converted school buses into preschool classrooms, so they could take learning directly to distant families. These districts also used technology to improve their STEM offerings, provide access to e-books that students could download on school-provided tablets at school and read at home without internet access, and put students in touch with medical care, mentors, and learning opportunities beyond their local community.

Rural Schools and the Digital Divide

“…Rural teachers used these technologies on a more frequent basis than prior findings from a national study of public-school teachers (Gray et al, 2010). These new findings highlight the need for continued professional development of technologies, such as Google's G-Suite for Education, which promotes Universal Design for Learning principles to offer students a chance to demonstrate mastery in a medium of their liking (Weiss, 2019 (Eppley, 2017). Video sharing technology, such as YouTube, allows for delivery of content through multiple media, rather than paper-based textbooks or documents.…”

“…Rural schools are also presented with a myriad of logistical challenges. These schools often feature limited support staff, which are assigned to cover multiple schools over dozens of miles (Weiss, 2019). Recruitment of staff and faculty is another challenge facing rural schools.…”

Digitala delningslösningar som innovation i landsbygder och glesa geografier? Fallet skolskjuts

“…Innovativa lösningar och lokala aktörer som kan försöka hitta finansiering uppmärksammas i viss forskning, som exempelvis hur de arrangerat skola på bussar som kommer "hem till" elever (liknande svenska bokbussar) (Weiss, 2019). Det är social inkludering från ett internationellt perspektiv.…”