Articles are listed in descending order by year (most recent first), and then by first author's last name.
Marcel, K. W. (2003). Online Advanced Placement classes: Experiences of rural and low-income high school students. Boulder, CO: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED478377)
Marcel was commissioned by the Western Consortium for Accelerated Learning Opportunities to examine rural and low-income students’ experiences with online AP courses. The study was exploratory in nature. During the study 30 students, their mentors, and school administrators were interviewed at four high schools in two Western states about their experiences with online AP courses. Of the students interviewed, 25 of them qualified as low-income. The study found that simply offering AP courses online is not enough for rural and low-income students. In order for students to succeed, the courses must be offered in tandem with support for these students, and students must have access to computers outside of class. Online AP courses should be designed to promote active learning, student interaction, and group interaction. The roles of online AP instructors and in-school mentors need to be better defined, and students must have access to educators for help when no one in the school building has the expertise to answer their questions.
Howley, A. (2002). The progress of gifted students in a rural district that emphasized acceleration strategies. Roeper Review, 24(3), 158-160.
The author utilizes a case study approach to explore a rural school district’s experiences implementing gifted programming. After establishing the case for acceleration (a type of gifted programming), including studies that have demonstrated that accelerated gifted students achieve a grade ahead of non-accelerated gifted students, Howley details some of the challenges to implementing such programming. These challenges include concerns about students’ social-emotional health, worry about curriculum sequencing, assumptions that too many parents will request that their kids be accelerated, and worry about scheduling problems. Despite these concerns, the district examined in this article successfully implemented gifted programming over a period of eleven years. Principals at each school were given the freedom to individualize their programs. Even with differing approaches, the author attributes the success of the district’s programming to the schools' focusing on the needs of each child individually, having curriculum that was matched to the child’s abilities, monitoring student progress frequently, and performing program evaluation.
Benbow, C. P. (1992). Meeting the needs of the gifted in rural areas through acceleration. Gifted Child Today, 15(2), 15-19.
This article provides research-based suggestions for developing educational options based on acceleration to meet the needs of gifted students in rural areas. Accelerative options offered by both the home school and universities in Iowa are described.
Jones, E. D., & Southern, W. T. (1992). Programming, grouping, and acceleration in rural school districts: A survey of attitudes and practices. Gifted Child Quarterly, 36(2), 112-117.
Interviews with the coordinators of 37 gifted education programs (20 rural and 17 urban) indicated that rural school districts are less likely to use ability grouping or academic acceleration and are more likely to use sporadic extracurricular activities. An earlier survey of 171 teachers also found fewer program options in rural areas.
Howley, A. (1989). The progress of gifted students in a rural district that emphasized acceleration strategies. Roeper Review, 11(4), 205-207.
The author utilizes a case study approach to explore a rural school district’s experiences implementing gifted programming. After establishing the case for acceleration (a type of gifted programming), including studies that have demonstrated that accelerated gifted students achieve a grade ahead of non-accelerated gifted students, Howley details some of the challenges to implementing such programming. These challenges include concerns about students’ social-emotional health, worry about curriculum sequencing, assumptions that too many parents will request that their kids be accelerated, and worry about scheduling problems. Despite these concerns, the district examined in this article successfully implemented gifted programming over a period of eleven years. Principals at each school were given the freedom to individualize their programs. Even with differing approaches, the author attributes the success of the district’s programming to the schools' focusing on the needs of each child individually, having curriculum that was matched to the child’s abilities, monitoring student progress frequently, and performing program evaluation.
Howley, A., et al. (1986). Acceleration as a means of individualizing instruction for gifted students in rural schools: A preservice rural special education module: 121. Bellingham, WA: Western Washington University, National Rural Development Institute.
This teaching module instructs preservice teachers about accelerating the progress of rural gifted students. Acceleration consists of various provisions that allow early completion of school, including grade skipping, cross-grade placement, early entry, dual attendance, special class placement, and radical acceleration. In rural areas, the practice of acceleration is especially critical because of its cost-effectiveness in comparison to enrichment programs. However, the literature suggests that rural teachers and administrators express many concerns about acceleration. Therefore, this module aims to prepare preservice teachers to address concerns about acceleration and to implement effective acceleration programs for rural gifted students.
