58.035 - Reconceiving Rural Education: An Examination of Meaning and Equal Educational Opportunity

Session Type: Working Group Roundtable

Abstract

In contrast to the cultural richness, vitality, and change associated with urban areas, rural places are often characterized as inherently devoid of difference, sparsely populated and aging: static. Achieving the promise of equal educational opportunity in rural settings requires recognition that “rural” communities are, in fact, quite diverse and deeply complex. Educational researchers have increasingly begun to recognize the distinct and dynamic circumstances of rural life. This working group session will build on such scholarship by 1) discussing the particular significance of rurality across our varied research sites, 2) generating greater conceptual clarity for understanding select educational issues in these rural communities, and 3) advancing the development of a future AERA symposium and edited volume on reconceiving rural education.

Sub Unit

• Division G - Social Context of Education / Division G - Section 1: Micro-analyses of the social contexts of teaching and learning

Chair

• Jennifer C. Ng, The University of Kansas

Papers

• Pursuing Educational Opportunities for Immigrant Children in the Rural Midwest - Carolyn A. Colvin, University of Iowa

• Education in Micropolitan America: A Particular Kind of Rural Place - Jennifer C. Ng, The University of Kansas

• Conflicting Rural Discourses: Policy Frames and Educational Equity - Jennifer Seelig, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• What Changes Communities? Spatial Implications for Teachers in the Rural Rust Belt - Alexandra Panos, Indiana University - Bloomington

Discussant

• Carolyn A. Colvin, University of Iowa