concerns
Teachers in rural schools are required to teach many different subjects in the curriculum, particularly science and social studies teachers. No Child Left Behind is creating particular stress because, according to the law, must return to college and take courses in subjects they have taught for years. The law assumes that teachers and paraprofessionals in rural areas have the same, convenient access to educational opportunities and training resources as those in larger towns do. The loss of longtime teachers, combined with the difficulties in recruiting “highly qualified teachers” to live and work in rural areas” could have a major negative impact on the very learning and achievement that NCLB is designed to improve.

 

pay
Teacher pay in North Dakota ranks 49th among the 50 states.The gap between teacher pay in metropolitan and rural areas is large and growing wider. Rural teachers nationwide earn an average of 86 cents on the dollar compared with their urban and suburban counterparts. With North Dakota teacher salaries among the lowest in the US, the salary gap in rural areas is even larger.

Recent studies suggest that equal or greater salaries are necessary to attract qualified teachers to rural areas.

 

Teaching with Technology
Studies demonstrate that distance learning is as effective as traditional methods of instructions. However, technology instruction must be implanted well. The most underappreciated and under-funded aspect of education technology tends to be the professional development of educators in how best to use it.

 

Effective and adequately funded training programs for teachers and technology support personnel is essential to effectively teaching with technology.  Even with training, research shows that it can take up to five years to fully-integrate technology into classroom curriculum.

 

Combination Classrooms
One room school houses with every grade were the norm at the turn of the century. While not common, recent studies comparing multi-graded classroom and single-graded classrooms have found no substantial differences in educational outcomes. Parental concerns were the most negative aspect, but were most often unfounded. Although a majority of schools in the Us have combination classes, they are generally anomalies within a traditional age-graded school.

Often created as a result of budget constraints or enrollment fluctuations, combination classes can also generate increased creativity and provide a variety of challenges and peer mentoring opportunities.

Unlike combination classes which maintain their grade identification and are often taught in two tracks by a single teacher, non-graded classes are typically organized on a school wide basis. They feature team teaching; flexible grouping based on such criteria as student interests and achievement in specific subjects; and individualized instruction, personalized learning, or continuous progress programs that enable students to learn at their own developmental pace. Non-graded classes strive to abolish all vestiges of grade levels, graded content, graded materials, graded tests, and grade-level teachers, and they frequently use teacher cycling, a practice that keeps a teacher with the same group of children for more than one year.