Education and success in a small town : the high school's role /
Nearly two-thirds of America's schools are small rural
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| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
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[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
1996.
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| Online Access: | http://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=743157221&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=2945&RQT=309&VName=PQD |
| Summary: | Nearly two-thirds of America's schools are small rural schools, and many do an excellent job preparing their students. However, a number of these schools are located in small rural isolated towns that have little economic base. These communities and schools are witnessing a growing underclass of poverty. Students from these low SES families generally have lower educational expectations and career aspirations. This problem is compounded by a siphoning of the communities' "best and brightest" who continue to leave for urban areas to find employment. Many once strong, closely-knit communities find themselves disintegrating. Some have even lost the "will to act." Springfield, Texas, (an alias) is such a town. This study, based upon the naturalistic research paradigm, was designed to examine the role of the high school and other institutions in the community of Springfield in preparing students to be successful, productive citizens. With the researcher serving as the principal data gathering instrument, information was collected through open-ended questionnaires, semistructured interviews, persistent observations, prolonged engagement, and referential data from school records Through ongoing data collection and analysis, themes and theories emerged. One theme is that there are differing perceptions of reality among the stakeholders. Another is that the town and the school district have changed over time. One of the emerging theories is that although Springfield High School does currently prepare a limited number of its graduates to be successful, productive citizens, most of its graduates lack the necessary skills. Springfield High School must offer an education that will enable its graduates to make knowledgeable career and lifestyle choices. If they want to live in a large urban area, they must have the necessary skills; if they want to remain in their rural hometown, they must have the education needed to maintain a livelihood. The study recommends that the community of Springfield and its school recognize their mutual identity and plan collaboratively to develop a school that prepares its graduates to be productive, successful citizens. Springfield must develop a vision which will build on its rural strengths to prepare its students for the Information Age. |
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| Item Description: | Vita. "Major Subject: Educational Administration". |
| Physical Description: | xi, 127 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilms Inc. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references. |