McRel Rural E-News, No. 45, July 2005

1. Wal-Mart boycott causes dissension in teacher ranks Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel
Florida teacher unions are at odds over how deeply to get involved in a national campaign to persuade
the public not to shop for back-to-school clothing and supplies at Wal-Mart. Teacher representatives
say they back the decision of the National Education Association to support �Wake-Up Wal-Mart,� a
boycott initiated by the United Food and Commercial Workers union. But some say it's unrealistic to
ask teachers, cafeteria workers, bus drivers and other school workers to boycott the giant retailer.

2. Petitions seek repeal of school consolidation bill Southern Black Hills Weekly (Chadron, Neb.)
A statewide petition drive is underway in Nebraska to overturn a legislative bill which would force
Class I schools to merge with adjoining Class III (K-12) districts. After Gov. Dave Heineman�s veto
of the measure was overridden 35-16, a group organized to block implementation of the bill and
give voters a chance to repeal the measure, which would eliminate the separate K-8 districts in 2006.

3. Rural students learn importance of work ethic The Madison (Ind.) Courier
A new program at Oak Hill High School near Marion, Ind., will allow high school seniors to earn a certificate stating they have the work ethic and attitude sought by employers. Some of the certificate�s
standards are objective, including the number of discipline referrals, tardies, absences and hours of community service students accumulate in their senior year. The program also asks teachers to rate how students demonstrate qualities like punctuality and respectfulness.

4. 'Bit by bit,' farm towns blow away Des Moines (Iowa) Register
In the next few years, a massive transfer of farmland spurred by the deaths of Iowa's aging farmers
will hasten trends that have already emptied large expanses of the Corn Belt. Here's why: Today's
farmland owners are expected to turn over their land to heirs who are less likely than ever to farm it. The new owners, many of whom live out of state, won't spend their earnings in Iowa's farm towns and they won't send their children to rural schools.

5. Leading Learning for the Future Sept. 22-24, 2005, Westminster, CO
Are you ready for the future? Join McREL for our �Leading Learning for the Future� conference, where you�ll learn from cutting-edge research and innovation how to create successful schools today and prepare for the challenges of tomorrow. In particular, you�ll

6. American Stars in Teaching
The U.S. Department of Education honors classroom teachers who are successful in using innovative teaching strategies and raising student academic achievement for all of their students by recognizing
them as American Stars of Teaching. One teacher (or team of teachers) from a school will be recognized in every state. Parents, students, colleagues, school administrators, or others are invited to nominate a teacher they believe has the qualities to be an American Star of Teaching.

7. Effects of a culturally responsive teaching project in selected Kanawha County, W.V., schools Appalachian Education Laboratory (AEL)
A new report on an AEL research study conducted in eight Kanawha County, W.V., schools finds that
teachers who learned about culturally responsive teaching principles and who taught a culturally responsive instructional unit developed by AEL created a more positive classroom learning environment and demonstrated better use of class time than teachers in other classrooms studied.

8. The Poor Little Rich District: The Effects of Suburbanization on a Rural School & Community Journal of Research in Rural Education (JRRE)
A research team at Ohio University examined the dynamics that seem to be interfering with one previously rural and now suburbanizing district�s ability to address an academic mission. The case study, drawn from interviews with 31 members of the school community, reveals three themes:

1.	�identity crisis,�
2.	�goal ambiguity,� and
3.	�ambiguities in resource allocation.�

9. Improving Research on Mathematics Learning & Teaching in Rural Contexts Journal of Research in Rural Education (JRRE)
William Bush of the University of Louisville notes in JRRE that an adequate research base for mathematics learning and teaching in rural areas does not exist. The article offers an overview and analysis of current issues regarding mathematics in rural contexts, a broader view of the role of mathematics in rural contexts and in place-based pedagogy, and recommendations for collaboration in research and practice in mathematics education in rural contexts.

10. Prescriptions for Rural Mathematics Instruction Journal of Research in Rural Education (JRRE)
Craig Howley, Aimee Howley, and Donna Huber of Ohio University note that very little empirical research has examined mathematics education in rural schools; however, a modest body of nonresearch
literature does exist. Their analysis of this literature revealed three themes:

1.	mathematics education in rural schools needs to be fixed;
2.	good things happen in some rural schools, and
3.	fixing mathematics instruction requires certain practices.

RESOURCES & INFORMATION

11. Do Something BRICK Awards
BRICK Awards honor six outstanding youth leaders who develop projects to improve their community.
Winners in the �18 and under� category receive $5,000 scholarships and $5,000 grants; winners in
the �19-25� category receive $10,000 grants. All winners receive pro bono services and media recognition and meet celebrities at the BRICK Awards. Deadline: November 1, 2005.

12. Technology Grants for Rural Schools
The Foundation for Rural Education and Development (FRED) sponsors Technology Grants for Rural
Schools to help meet the growing need for innovative technology in the classroom. The grants strive
to help public schools in rural areas served by OPASTCO members bring modern computers to every classroom, connect schools to the information superhighway and make sure that effective and engaging software and online resources are an integral part of the school curriculum. Deadline:
September 13, 2005.

13. Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
The goal of the Barbara Bush Foundation�s grant program is to develop and expand family literacy
efforts nationwide and to support the development of literacy programs that build families readers. A total of approximately $650,000 awarded each year; no grant exceeds $65,000. Family literacy programs funded through the Foundation's National Grant Program must include the following components:

1.	reading instruction for parents or primary care-givers (pre-GED/ ESL, etc.),
2.	literacy or pre-literacy instruction children, and
3.	intergenerational activities the parents/primary caregivers and children together to learn and to read.

Deadline: September 9, 2005.