Partnering for Regional School Improvement Coherence: Educational Service Agencies and Improving Rural Schools

• In Event: 54.080 - Roundtable Session 22
  In Roundtable Session: 54.080-8 - Policy Coherence and School Improvement at Scale

Abstract

This paper explores the structures that promote coherence for learning improvement efforts between rural schools, districts, and educational service agencies (ESAs) and, regionally, across districts within an ESA. Due to the tightly coupled nature of rural schools and small districts, this paper extends the coherence literature featuring larger, urban districts to consider the impact of regional learning improvement agendas. Structural and service relationships between sustainably improving rural schools/districts across three ESAs were investigated, and findings highlight the ability of ESA administrators to leverage economies of scale and marshal broad improvement initiatives within a geographic region. Additionally, this study explores the challenges remoteness poses improvement efforts within schools and the ways in which ESAs have and have not mitigated these issues.

Author

• Wesley Henry, Central Connecticut State University