Innovation for Equity in Rural Education : Proceedings of the International Symposium for Innovation in Rural Education

PREFACE The concept of an international symposium on rural education arose from a meeting between members of the SiMERR National Centre, Australia and the NURI Teacher Education Innovation Centre (NURI-TEIC) at Kongju National University, Korea in 2007. Despite the very different national contexts, the teams were struck by the similarities of the challenges facing rural schools in the two countries, and curious about the degree to which these challenges were shared by other countries. At a subsequent meeting in Australia in December 2007, the two centre Directors - Professor John Pegg (SiMERR) and Professor Youn-Kee Im (NURI-TEIC) - agreed on a framework for the first International Symposium for Innovation in Rural Education (ISFIRE). This volume consists of the keynotes and refereed papers presented at ISFIRE 2009. The papers provide insights into rural education in Australia, Bhutan, Canada, Korea, Norway, South Africa and the United States along the following themes: 1. Promoting rural policy initiatives; 2. Nurturing the rural teacher experience; 3. Enhancing rural student experience and growth; 4. Optimising the curriculum; 5. Improving resources in rural schools; and 6. Addressing special issues in rural education. The authors and titles of a further 23 presentations based on refereed abstracts only are listed at the end of this volume. The abstracts for these presentations can be found in the symposium Program. The academics and practitioners who came together for this symposium are passionate about rural education and have dedicated their time and capacities to working for the benefit of rural teachers, students and communities. The papers in this volume offer direction not only for Australia and South Korea, who jointly hosted this symposium, but for all countries in which rural education is contested ground. The keynotes in particular contribute rich perspectives on rural education trends, policies and practices. We hope that this volume generates a greater appreciation of the advantages of rural education and the many innovative approaches being implemented to meet its challenges.

Australian rural education research: A geographical perspective

This paper brings a rural geographical lens to the study of education and rurality. Two key interrelated notions underpinning Australian educational scholarship on rurality are explored. That is, the concepts of the rural and of community. The adoption and mobilisation of these terms in a large proportion of rural educational research as unproblematic is at odds with contemporary theorising in rural geography. In order to advance studies of rural education, we point to the contestability, fluidity and fundamentally political nature of these core concepts. In doing so, we draw on a selection of extant geographical research and educational research concerned with the rural. In concluding the paper we highlight that as well as challenging orthodoxies in relation to notions of rurality and community, more recent rural geographical scholarship has also engaged a greater diversity of methodological approaches. We suggest that more robust and nuanced approaches to terms such as 'the rural' and 'the community' in educational research could be garnered by reference to this dynamic body of methodological writing.

A framework for revitalisation of rural education and training systems in sub-Saharan Africa: Strengthening the human resource base for food security and sustainable livelihoods

Recent studies of the current state of rural education and training (RET) systems in sub-Saharan Africa have assessed their ability to provide for the learning needs essential for more knowledgeable and productive small-scale rural households. These are most necessary if the endemic causes of rural poverty (poor nutrition, lack of sustainable livelihoods, etc.) are to be overcome. A brief historical background and analysis of the major current constraints to improvement in the sector are discussed. Paramount among those factors leading to its present 'malaise' is the lack of a whole-systems perspective and the absence of any coherent policy framework in most countries. There is evidence of some recent innovations, both in the public sector and through the work of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society organisations (CSOs) and other private bodies. These provide hope of a new sense of direction that could lead towards meaningful 'revitalisation' of the sector. A suggested framework offers 10 key steps which, it is argued, could largely be achieved with modest internal resources and very little external support, provided that the necessary leadership and managerial capacities are in place. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A gaze to rural education according to scientific discourses during the last decade

He largest proportion of illiteracy and lack of access to education in the world is concentrated in rural areas; therefore it is important to ensure there is access to quality education in these spots. This challenge is assumed by different branches of social research and it is reflected within the publication of articles in scientific journals. In the present document the scientific discourse surrounding the theme of rural education during the last decade was analyzed. To do this, the paper focuses on three aspects: the countries that set the agenda, the geographical areas that represent most of the attention and the prevalent themes within continents. It was observed that USA was the most productive country in terms of scientific writings with 30%; that Asia is really interested in health issues associated to rural education; that in Europe gender issues are on the table and that the African and Asian continents, as well as Latin America, are interested only on their own issues, as 100% of the times they only wrote about themselves.

U.S. aid to education in Paraguay : the rural education development project: /

Mode of access: Internet.

Selected bibliography on rural education.

Mode of access: Internet.

An atlas of proposed new intermediate school districts for New York state; approved by the Research Committee of the Council on Rural Education.

pt. I. Descriptive material.--pt. II. Maps.

The Journal of rural education.

No more published.

Handbook on rural education; factual data on rural education, its social and economic backgrounds

Mode of access: Internet.

Journal of Rural Education

Mode of access: Internet.

Contributions of the Rural Education Project (PER)

This paper presents the results of the research project “El proceso de formación inicial del Proyecto de Educación Rural (PER)” (creation of the Rural Education Project, PER by its Spanish acronym), conducted between 1984 and 1987 in the Regional Offices of the Ministry of Public Education in San Carlos, Coto and Limón. The Rural Education Project (PER) was implemented by the Center of Research and Teaching in Education (CIDE) of the Universidad Nacional (UNA) aiming at training teachers of single-teacher schools located in rural areas. The objective of our research was to collect the contributions of PER bearing in mind the training processes required today, and considering the success of PER, which was based on the leadership of teachers to promote community progress in rural areas from the classroom, an input to be considered in the new learning processes of Rural Education

Artistic Expression: Another Challenge for Rural Education

This paper identifies the parameters required to create opportunities that would strengthen the social fabric and would promote a comprehensive development through the artistic expression as a method for expressing feelings and constructing –cultural and social– identities as individuals, which, in our global context have been eroded by the homogenization of experiences.