Tools for Great Teachers: www.toolsforgreatteachers.com

Hallsville ISD: www.hisd.com

White Oak ISD: www.woisd.net

EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE:INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY IN SMALL

RURAL SCHOOLS

TEAM MEMBERS

From Tools for Great Teachers: Kathy McConnell Fad and Paula Rogers

From Hallsville ISD: Stacey Perkins, Kelly Graff, Toni Erickson, and

Paula RogersFrom White Oak ISD:

Nina Peery, Pam Cranford, Claire Koonce, and Danieli Parker

Definitions vary but some examples are:

Communities with fewer than 2,500 people (U.S. Census Bureau)

Schools with fewer than 600 students (U.S. DOE)

Towns with fewer than 25,000 residents (Advocates)

WHO’S RURAL?

More than one in five students in the U.S. attends a rural school.

More than one-half of all school districts are in rural areas.

More than one-third of all public schools are in rural areas.

While overall enrollment in public schools grew about one percent from 2002 to 2005, rural student enrollment grew 15 percent.

National Center for Educational Statistics: http://nces.ed.gov Rural Schools and Community Trust: http://files.ruraledu.org Education Week: Rural Education: http://wwwledweek.org

WHY FOCUS ON RURAL SCHOOL ISSUES?

Large urban school districts often set the tone for education initiatives and are the

impetus for government policies, but small rural districts educate their students without benefit of the same financial

support, community partnerships, technological resources, and geographical

advantages.

WHY FOCUS ON RURAL SCHOOL ISSUES?

Many rural areas face serious educational issues like:

Concentrated povertyDifficulty recruiting and retaining teachers and

principalsLack of or limited Internet accessLimited secondary coursework options (e.g., AP, IB

classes)Less funding than urban areasShrinking tax bases“Brain Drain”

WHY FOCUS ON RURAL SCHOOL ISSUES?

WHY FOCUS ON RURAL SCHOOL ISSUES?

In addition, there are challenges facing the many rural public schools in Texas that are a result of decisions made at the state level. For example:Texas ranks 47th of the 50 states in per student spending in public schools, more than $3,000 below the national

average.Texas has both the lowest number and the lowest

percentage of children without health care coverage. Since drastic budget cuts to public education in the last legislative session, more than 30,000 public education

jobs have been lost.References: Dallas Morning News, retrieved on February 22, 2013

.http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com National Education Association database

Even so, rural schools also have some important advantages like

Strong community support Close links to community employers Educators willing to “try anything” Instructional Technology!!

WHY FOCUS ON RURAL SCHOOL ISSUES?

In this discussion, we will focus on sub-populations in small rural schools….groups

that can be most significantly and positively impacted by

instructional technology.

1. Students with disabilities.2. Sub-groups who feel the effects of

rural school issues more keenly: Economically disadvantaged students, second language learners, and students isolated from opportunity by geography.

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY IN RURAL SCHOOLS

PRIORITY 1: STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Hallsville ISD focuses on including students with disabilities in general education through a co-

teaching model. Students are educated with their non-disabled

peers in general education classrooms.Both a general education and special education

teacher are in the classroom and work as partners.

Students have the advantage of highly qualified teachers who are experts in differentiation and who consistently respond to individual needs.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN INCLUSIVE SETTINGS IN SMALL RURAL SCHOOLS

Utah’s co-teaching handbooks has a great definition of co-teaching.

“Co-teaching is the instructional arrangement in which a general education

teacher and a special education teacher deliver core instruction along with

specialized instruction, as needed, to a diverse group of students in a single

physical space. Co-teaching partnerships require educators to make joint

instructional decisions and share responsibility and accountability for

student learning.”

DEFINITION OF CO-TEACHING

Because co-teaching requires a commitment of personnel and resources,

which are often limited in small rural schools, teachers have to make the most of

what they have. This is where instructional technology comes into play. IT can make all the

difference for students and their teachers.

CO-TEACHING IN SMALL RURAL SCHOOLS

PRIORITY 2: SPECIFIC SUB-POPULATIONS OF STUDENTS

For economically disadvantaged students, second language learners, and rural

students with limited opportunities due to geography, lack of exposure and

experience can result in long term educational disadvantages.

While instructional technology can’t erase the impact of the risk factors, using

instructional technology can make a big difference in foundational skills like

Academic Vocabulary.

AT RISK SUB-GROUPS IN SMALL RURAL SCHOOLS

Academic vocabulary refers to the words associated with the content knowledge. Within every discipline there is a specific set of words to represent its concepts and

processes. These words are conceptually more complex than everyday language;

therefore, they are more difficult to learn.

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY

A student’s depth of word knowledge within a discipline, or academic

vocabulary, relates to success in that subject (National Institute for Literacy,

2007). To learn specialized words, such as the

vocabulary of science, students must know the content associated with the word

(Armbruster, 1992; Graves & Penn, 1986).Source: Sage Publications

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY

Vocabulary knowledge has been identified as the most important indicator of oral

language proficiency, which is particularly important for the comprehension of both

spoken and written language. In addition, general vocabulary knowledge

is the single best predictor of reading comprehension. The interdependence of

word knowledge and reading comprehension increases as students

advance through school.

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY

Many low income children and English language learners have limited word

knowledge, which negatively affects their reading comprehension in the upper

elementary and middle school grades. As early as the first grade, children from

higher income families know at least twice as many words as children from less

affluent families.

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY

As students advance in grade level, the materials they read become more difficult, and students who lack academic language can neither access nor comprehend these

texts.In addition, children who are learning

English often enter kindergarten lagging behind their English-only peers in the skills

necessary to start reading, with the gap remaining throughout their school years.

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY

This literacy gap is rooted in children’s early experiences at home and at school.

Both the quality of children’s oral language experiences at home and the quality of vocabulary instruction in school have

lasting consequences that contribute to the gap.

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY

Many students acquire academic background knowledge outside of school and come to subject-area classes already

knowing and using terms essential for understanding content.

For example, they or their families may have traveled extensively, exposing them to

a variety of individuals, experiences, and cultures.

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY

Such students commonly take part in conversations at home that include information that will be useful to them in school. They have incidentally gained the academic background knowledge they need to succeed in school.

By contrast, students from families with fewer resources or who live in rural areas lack such opportunities and, thus, have not incidentally acquired important academic background knowledge.

Source: Effective Vocabulary Instruction. National Center for Reading First; Technical Assistance

Putting the Pieces of the Puzzle Together: How Systematic Vocabulary Instruction and Expanded Learning Time Can Address the Literacy Gap. White, and Kim, 2009, Harvard Graduate School of Education

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY

One of the problems for students in rural areas is their lack of exposure to people,

places, and things outside of their community and, sometimes, outside of

their school.This is magnified for students who are economically disadvantaged, have a

disability, or are limited English speakers.

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY

Hallsville ISD and White Oak ISD, like many other rural school districts, have

students who have …. Never eaten in a “sit down” restaurant Never seen an escalator or been in an elevator Never been to a store other than a convenience store, even stores

within 10 miles of home Never been to a public library, a museum, or a concert hall Never gone swimming, hiking, skating, bicycling, fishing, or

sledding Never taken a family vacation or even a short trip

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY

Instructional Technology, when used effectively and extensively, can bridge the

gaps the face students in small rural schools.

We will share examples and ideas with you so that you see the impact IT can have.

THE ROLE OF INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY

1. Parent and Administrator Support2. Digital Responsibility3. Blogging4. Mobile Devices (QR codes; Nanos)5. Software (Edmodo, , Moodle, etc.)6. Continuing Education and Training7. Communication (Skype, Twitter, etc.)8. Students’ Attitudes Toward Technology

STRATEGIES AND RESOURCES YOU WILL SEE

AND HEAR