Abstract
This study examined the potential of a residency/concurrent enrollment program to support rural students that are interested in the field of education. With 17 students in the program, the goals were to make a career in teaching more accessible to rural high school students through concurrent enrollment, to help future teachers solidify their career choice, and to establish partnerships with rural districts to continue expanding concurrent enrollment and ultimately fuel the teacher pipeline. For the purposes of this study, we investigated how these efforts might influence high school students’ understanding of teaching as a profession and examined if and how the program might be able to facilitate participants’ first steps toward becoming culturally aware, highly effective educators who can return and give back to their own communities. Using an interpretivist model of qualitative research, we found that community was an essential thread that was multifaceted, complex, and extended from the rural communities in which students lived. It was also an essential lens through which students viewed the program, and subsequently solidified their interests in and perceptions of teaching. The study has many implications for rural education with regards to increasing rural students’ interest in pursuing the field of education, supporting rural students in successfully entering preparation programs, and attracting teachers to working in rural areas. There are also implications for Educator Preparation Programs in successfully preparing all students for coursework, field experiences, and their future careers.
Recommended Citation
Kyser, Christine; Youngs, Suzette; Nelson, Amy; and Monaghan, Tatum
(2021)
"Transitioning From High School Students to Aspiring Future Rural Educators: Promising Practices to Fuel the Rural Teacher Pipeline,"
Journal of Educational Research and Innovation: Vol. 9, Article 5.
Available at:
https://digscholarship.unco.edu/jeri/vol9/iss1/5
