Rural Education Research in the United States

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-vi

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2. Introduction: Current State of the Science in Rural Education Research

   • Louis F. Cicchinelli, Andrea D. Beesley

   Pages 1-14

3. Multidisciplinary Perspectives to Advance Rural Education Research

   • Gwen C. Nugent, Gina M. Kunz, Susan M. Sheridan, Mary Hellwege, Maureen O’Connor

   Pages 15-27

4. Methodological Approaches to Rural Education Research

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 29-29

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   2. Defining and Communicating Rural

      • Leslie R. Hawley, Natalie A. Koziol, James A. Bovaird

      Pages 31-54

   3. Partnership-Based Approaches in Rural Education Research

      • Gina M. Kunz, Pamela Buffington, Charles P. Schroeder, Ronnie Green, Robert Mahaffey, Jennifer Widner et al.

      Pages 55-76

   4. Recruiting Rural Schools for Education Research: Challenges and Strategies

      • Elizabeth Autio, Theresa Deussen

      Pages 77-93

   5. Methodology Challenges and Cutting Edge Designs for Rural Education Research

      • James A. Bovaird, Kirstie L. Bash

      Pages 95-119

5. Rural Education Research Findings Part 1: Teacher and School Influences

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 121-121

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   2. The Effectiveness of E-Coaching in Rural Science Classrooms

      • Gwen C. Nugent, Gina M. Kunz, James Houston, Irina Kalutskaya, Jon Pedersen

      Pages 123-144

   3. Accelerating the Mathematical Development of Young Navajo Children

      • Mark Sorensen, Derek Price

      Pages 145-165

   4. Investigating Teacher Professional Development with Distance Coaching to Promote Students’ Response to Reading Interventions in Rural Schools

      • Todd A. Glover

      Pages 167-179

   5. Rural Language and Literacy Connections: An Integrated Approach to Supporting Low-Income Preschool Children’s Language and Literacy Development

      • Lisa L. Knoche, Dawn L. Davis

      Pages 181-199

6. Rural Education Research Findings Part 2: Family and Community Influences

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 201-201

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   2. Rural Parenting: Cumulative Risk and Parenting Process

      • Irina L. Mokrova, Lynne Vernon-Feagans, Patricia Garrett-Peters

      Pages 203-229

   3. The Effects of Rurality on Parents’ Engagement in Children’s Early Literacy

      • Brandy L. Clarke, Natalie A. Koziol, Susan M. Sheridan

      Pages 231-250

   4. Improving Education Outcomes for American Indian Children: Community and Family Influences on Rural Student Academic Success

      • Judy Pfannenstiel, Marsha Gebhardt

      Pages 251-267

   5. Family-School Partnerships in Rural Communities: Benefits, Exemplars, and Future Research

      • Susan M. Sheridan, Gina M. Kunz, Shannon Holmes, Amanda Witte

      Pages 269-289

   6. Future Directions for Rural Education Research: A Commentary and Call to Action

      • Andrea D. Beesley, Susan M. Sheridan

      Pages 291-298

This volume represents current and futuristic thinking of seminal rural education researchers, with the goal of providing perspectives and directions to inform the work of rural education research, practice, and policy.  With an emphasis on leveraging collaboration among key rural education stakeholders, this title both outlines our current research knowledge base and maps a future research agenda for maximizing the educational experiences and achievement of rural K-12 students and their families and educators in the United States. In examining the interrelated impacts of teacher practices, family engagement, school/community environment and contextual factors, the book offers the evidence-based insights of seminal researchers on issues ranging from professional development and family-school partnership approaches to methodological considerations. It also explores the needs, opportunities and realities associated with translating research to the arenas of practice and policy – while considering how the latter can inform future scholarship. 

• distance coaching for early reading support
• future directions for rural education research
• future directions for rural education research
• improving educational outcomes for indigenous populations
• mathematical development of indigenous children
• national conference on rural education research
• parenting in rural communities and education
• partnership-based educational research
• research processes in rural education
• rural contextual factors in education
• rural education in the United States
• rural education research
• rural education research methodology
• rural family and community partnerships in education
• rural low-income preschool literacy development
• rural low-income preschool literacy development
• rural parents and engagement in early literacy
• rural student academic success
• technology-based coaching for rural teachers

• University of Nebraska - Lincoln Nat. Center for Research on Rural Edu, Lincoln, USA

  Gwen C. Nugent, Gina M. Kunz

• University of Nebraska - Lincoln Nat. Center for Research on Rural Edu., Lincoln, USA

  Susan M. Sheridan

• Rutgers University, Piscataway, USA

  Todd A. Glover

• University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, USA

  Lisa L. Knoche

Gwen C. Nugent, PhD


Dr. Gwen Nugent is a Research Professor at the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools in the College of Education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  With a background in cognitive psychology and K-12 instruction, she has over 30 years of experience in the design, production, and evaluation of mediated instruction.  She coordinates STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) development and research projects, with a focus on teacher professional development and the use of technology to improve student learning.  As part of the National Center for Research in Rural Education, she served as principal investigator for the Coaching Science Inquiry in Rural Schools project, which examined how professional development and follow-up coaching influenced teachers’ knowledge and implementation of guided scientific inquiry.




Gina M. Kunz, PhD 


Dr. Gina M. Kunz is a Research Associate Professor and Assistant Director at the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools in the College of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  She is a licensed psychologist for children and adolescents with a background in school psychology. She has served in many roles in large-scale federally funded research and has led numerous professional development workshops and training sessions for pre-service and active professionals in the areas of school psychology and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education. As a Co-Principal Investigator of the National Center for Research on Rural Education (R2Ed) and Director of Rural Outreach and Coordination, she served as a Co-Principal Investigator for the Coaching Science Inquiry in Rural Schools research project. She also served as a Co-Principal Investigator for the Conjoint Behavior Consultationin Rural Communities study. 


Susan M. Sheridan, PhD


Dr. Susan M. Sheridan directs the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and directed the National Center for Research on Rural Education (R2Ed). As a George Holmes University Professor of educational psychology at UNL, she has conducted research on family-school partnerships and early intervention for more than 25 years. Sheridan has published more than 100 books, chapters and journal articles, having authored papers that were recognized as the year’s best by School Psychology Review and Journal of School Psychology. She has earned more than $50 million in federal grants, most notably for randomized trials of family-school partnership interventions, early childhood education, and related studies. Sheridan was recently bestowed the Senior Scientist Award for career accomplishments by Division 16 (School Psychology) of the American Psychological Association.


Todd A. Glover, PhD


Todd A. Glover is an Associate Research Professor in the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University. He has been a PI or Co-PI of multiple largescale, federally-funded randomized trials investigating the efficacy of school-based interventions
for at-risk or underserved students. As Co-PI of the National Center for Research on Rural Education (R²Ed), Dr. Glover has had extensive experience forging research partnerships with schools. His research and scholarly writing in journals and chapters and editorship/co-editorship of books focuses on integrating evidence-based interventions and high quality professional development into systems of support for students in school settings.




Lisa L. Knoche, PhD


Dr. Knoche is a Research Associate Professor at the Nebraska Centerfor Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She also serves as the director of the center’s Nebraska Early Childhood Research Academy. Knoche is an applied developmental psychologist with expertise in the design, development, and evaluation of early childhood interven-tion and prevention programs to support healthy development in young children and support family engagement in early learning.  Dr. Knoche is particularly experienced in issues of implementation science, including measurement of fidelity across systemic levels, and she is interested in identifying and supporting effective professional development strategies for early childhood professionals. She has extensive experience in implementing collaborative research programs with educational partners.

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