Contextualizing Rural Education Research With Practice-Based and Democratized Evidence

• In Event: 28.080 - Navigating the Challenges of Rural Educational Leadership

Abstract

Despite a century of research seeking panaceas in learning, individual student educational experiences are often marked by persistent educational inequities based on socioeconomic status, race, immigrant status, and geospatial location. Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) has undergirded contemporary education policies resulting from this research. US education policy favors a near-exclusive emphasis on evidence-based practice for educational interventions. What “works,” however, ignores the relevance of context. Context of place, particularly rural places, is an important consideration for research aimed to identify and promote effective instruction for students. This session considers the limitations of EBP as the foundational philosophy of contemporary education policy in rural schools and suggests Practice-Based Evidence as a socially just alternative.

Authors

• Amy Price Azano, Virginia Tech

• Devon G. Brenner, Mississippi State University

• Karen Eppley, The Pennsylvania State University