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A volume in the Current Perspectives on School/University/Community Research Series

Edited by: R. Martin Reardon, East Carolina University and Jack Leonard, University of Massachusetts, Boston

Place is paramount and sometimes problematic in schooling. In the context of rural schooling, Schafft and Jackson (2010) conceived of place as “an articulation of social relations and cultural and political practices that are paradoxical, provisional, and constantly in the process of becoming” (p. 11).

Rural places are home to almost 20% of the U.S. population (2010 Census FAQ) and approximately one third of all public schools (Ayers, 2011)—in which approximately one in five students are educated (Williams, 2010)—but schooling in rural places has been acerbically referred to by Corbett (2007) as the “quintessential institution of disembedding” (p. 251). According to Corbett’s narrative, children in rural places are immersed throughout their formative years in hearing “a story about somewhere else” (p. 117), studying a curriculum designed somewhere else, and striving to meet standards of academic achievement focused on fitting them to perform on a stage set somewhere else. Little wonder, then, that some children graduate from schools in rural places and leave for somewhere else.

The drift of youth away from rural areas and away from the “vision of the common good, locally lived” (Howley&Howley, 2010, p. 47) may be intrinsic to the quest for economic efficiency in agricultural production, the impact of evolving policies regarding resource extraction and utilization, and the spread of urbanization. However, at the same time that there is outmigration from among the youth of the long-time inhabitants of numerous rural places, in some such places there is immigration of ethnically diverse newcomers. These newcomers may be open to low-status employment opportunities, while anticipating that their uniqueness will be embraced—or at least less hatefully construed—than it was in the places from which they came. The respectful integration of such long-term or transient newcomers and the effective education of their children places a strain on the schooling resources in rural places as a new vision of the locally lived common good is born.

For this second volume in the Current Perspectives on School/University/Community Research series, we are inviting chapter proposals from authors who are engaged in school-university-community collaborative educational research endeavors in rural places.

Bryk, A. S. (2015). Accelerating how we learn to improve. Educational Researcher, 44(9), 467‐477. doi:
10.3102/0013189X15621543

Cooper, A.,&Shewchuck, S. (2015). Knowledge brokers in education: How intermediary organizations are
bridging the gap between research, policy and practice internationally. Education Policy Analysis
Archives, 23(118), 1‐5. doi: 10.14507/epaa.V23.2355

Among the questions that may be addressed by authors include:

  • How do school‐university‐community collaborative (SUCC) partnerships redress the harm done to rural schools by policies that ignore the “unique assets and challenges of rural schools and communities” (Johnson & Zoellner, 2016, p. 6).
  • How do SUCCs inculcate “an educated hope” (Edmondson & Butler, 2010, p. 150) for the future?
  • In what ways do SUCC partnerships enrich all partners?
  • How do SUCC partnerships value the rural setting and aid in the articulation of the elements of place and/or the integration of newcomers?
  • In what ways do SUCC partnerships address the educational needs of children and youth in rural places?
  • What are the design features of SUCC partnerships in rural places, and how does design capitalize on opportunities, and address inherent challenges?

Proposal:

Chapter proposals of no more than 500 words (not including the listing of up to 10 references) are invited for the second volume of this series. For multiple authored proposals, please list all authors and indicate a corresponding author’s email.

A blind review process of full chapter submissions will be conducted during June, 2017 (see Projected 2017 Deadlines).

Please email chapter proposals as attachments in Microsoft Word format to both Dr. Martin Reardon ([email protected])and Dr. Jack Leonard ([email protected]). Enquiries are welcome.

Projected 2017 Deadlines:

Chapter Proposals: February 28, 2017
Notification of Decision: March 31, 2017
Full Chapters Submitted & Blind Peer Review Initiated: June 2, 2017
Blind Peer Review Comments Returned to Authors: June 23, 2017
Authors’ Responses to Peer Review Comments Submitted to Editors: July 3, 2017
Authors Submit Polished and Revised Chapters to Editors: September 1, 2017
Submission to IAP: October 18, 2017