Serving Gifted Students in Rural Settings

Tamra Stambaugh, Susannah M. Wood

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• eBook ISBN: 9781000496055
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Inclusive Education

A cooperative publication of the National Association for Gifted Children and Prufrock Press, Serving Gifted Students in Rural Settings provides a framework for educating the gifted in rural settings. The book outlines practical, theoretical, and evidence-supported approaches for understanding, teaching, and leading programs for this unique population. Case study vignettes and practical ideas for administrators and teachers are combined with theoretical applications.

The first of three sections in the book outlines the various philosophies and current status of rural education. The second section focuses on practical strategies and evidence-supported approaches for identifying and serving rural gifted students based on their unique geography. Section three highlights support structures that are necessary for leading and supporting gifted education in rural schools. This book helps bridge the gap existing between rural education and accessible, effective gifted education.

PART I

The Rural Life

CHAPTER 1

National Context of Rural Schools

Zachary J. Richards and Tamra Stambaugh, Ph.D.

DOI: 10.4324/9781003237938-2

What Is Rural?

When presented with the term rural, one is likely to conjure clichéd images of idyllic landscapes, from rolling green hills and abundant pastures to winding roads and fenced in farmland. There is much more to the concept of ruralness than these rustic images provide. For one, Duncan (2012) discussed the implications for these communities when we move beyond such idealized fantasies. Not all rural spaces are the same, nor are these spaces created equal. Where some areas like the Upper Peninsula of Michigan or the Rocky Mountain West benefit from the touristic and retirement allure that their natural beauty and resources generate, regions like the South, Midwest, and Appalachia do not find themselves in such a fortunate situation. In these circumstances, markets are not as strong and there do not exist such beneficial factors enticing others to spend their time and money in these communities (Duncan, 2012).

Also important to understanding the essence of rural communities is how their far-flung physical locations from urban centers situate them in a position where accessibility to many modern conveniences is hard-found. Difficulties in obtaining broadband connectivity, developing basic frameworks for services like water and sewage access, and meeting transportation needs complicate the rural landscape (Battelle for Kids, 2014). Instead of public transit services, everyone relies on cars and trucks for getting around. These remote communities lack the infrastructural necessities to support economic growth, and because of this shortcoming in commercial viability, the institutions that make up rural areas are much less diverse than their urban counterparts (Duncan, 2010).

Nailing down what rural means is no simple task. Should a community be labeled as rural based on its geographic location, or by the number of people living there? Do agricultural economies or the way land is used determine that a community is a rural one? When do urban areas end and rural ones begin? Federal agencies use more than two dozen definitions to characterize a community as rural depending on the issues at hand, emphasizing the multifaceted considerations needed to capture this complicated idea. Generally speaking, rural communities are defined as not urban. In addition to using purely jurisdictional boundaries to delineate the rural from the urban, examinations of settlement density and cities’ influence on labor, trade, and media also matter for drawing this line. Residents in rural areas are not as concentrated as those of their urban counterparts, and they do not find themselves within a reasonable commuting distance to urban cores for employment and other necessities. Population size also matters, although ascertaining an appropriate threshold for characterizing a community as rural is subject to ongoing debate. With technological developments in the 20th century organizing economic and social activities around cities and large towns, recalibrations were necessary to take suburban development into account. Where a rural population was once defined as those communities with less than 2,500 people in 1910, this definition is now more fluid. A rural characterization is applied to areas with populations between 2,500 and 50,000 people, depending on the situation (Cromartie & Bucholtz, 2008).

But these answers do not wholly capture the essence of rural communities. They are more than being outside the city limits. They are more than communities with fewer than 50,000 people. Rural communities are more than “not urban.” People are rural, too. Tight bonds are forged in these small environments that foster neighborliness and communal cooperation. With this it may seem paradoxical, but there is also a great deal of respect for independence and hard work (Howley, 2009). Such an irony speaks to the difficulties one encounters when trying to discuss the rural. Rural communities consist of individuals of differing values, belief systems, and characteristics. No two rural areas are the same, but there exist patterns—patterns we now discuss as “the essence of rural.”

The Essence of Rural

Although one rural community may differ drastically from the next, embedded in these rustic landscapes and the people who inhabit them are common themes that permit a discussion of a rural essence. A sense of place is especially strong where the individuals are tied to the lands in which they were born and raised. Home and personal histories are valued for the powerfully informative role they have on one’s self—past, present, and future. Concern for tradition is prominent as well, and requires reconciling a committal to the way things have always been done in the face of an always-advancing world that necessitates adjustments in response to developing technologies and emerging markets. Along with neighborliness and communal cooperation, it is no surprise that rural communities find ways to organize themselves in meaningful ways around nexuses like family and religion. Success is measured in ways ranging from assessments of self-worth, to recently developed standards of material possessions and financial gain. Although the term rural is difficult to encapsulate, considering these themes as they relate to the rural experience opens the door for a focused and relevant discussion of a rural essence.

Sense of Place

Consisting of pastures and farmlands, agriculture also makes up a big part of what it means to be rural, both for the place and its people. In his essay, “A Native Hill,” Berry (2002) discussed the role farming had on developing his character. Born during the Great Depression, Berry remarked on how working with his grandfather and father on their farm in a setting not yet affected by the developments of industrialized farming forged a bond more strongly held to the history of his home community than to his generation. Berry believes this strong sense of place tied to working the land was crucial in the development of his character (Berry, 2002). Recent developments, however, threaten such traditional ties to rural places where fewer than 2% of rural workers now work in agricultural occupations (Duncan, 2010).

Given the pull of sense of place and the emphasis on family and community for many rural individuals, the decision to move to an urban area for education or employment is a difficult one. The pull to return “home” is strong and the rural area is always likely to be referred to as “home,” regardless of how long the individual has been living elsewhere (Jones, 1994). The feeling rural people often exhibit toward their rustic homes speaks to the importance that ought to be placed on understanding a rural sense of place. When individuals bear a special connection to the land they inhabit, they perceive themselves embedded in that place and its history, all its dilemmas, and the possibilities inherent within it. Indeed, fostering such a perception proves promising for the benefit of rural communities.

Berry’s (2002) discussion of his home in Port Royal, KY, speaks to the profound effect a rural sense of place may have on individuals and the compelling mindset they may develop toward their rustic homes. He traced multiple generations of his family back through his community and recalled how although he achieved the (presumed) highest status within his literary career, for him, his home and its history were inseparable from him. In discussing his early years, he wrote, “It entered my imagination, and gave its substance and tone to my mind. It fashioned in me possibilities and limits, desires and frustrations, that I do not expect to live to the end of” (p. 4).

After leaving New York University to return to his old Kentucky home, Berry’s fears that he would be unfulfilled were wrong, and instead, he felt more alive and conscious of himself than before. Berry saw his home with not only with positive fervor, but a poignant scrutiny as well. Where he could occupy the role of outsider and critic while living in New York, as both a native and a citizen in Kentucky, Berry enjoyed no such immunity. In entwining himself with Port Royal and his predecessors, he became aware of how their treatment of the place narrowed its future, forcing him to be cognizant of how his actions would influence what of his community he will leave behind (Berry, 2002). A heightened sense of place, then, undoubtedly has great potential to impact rural communities for the better. When citizens see themselves as part of a communal tradition, they are obliged to have its best interests in mind and cultivate in that place a set of values, traditions, and opportunities in the best interests of all its people.

Value of Tradition

Another definitive feature of rural communities that helps to explain the static tendencies of rustic economies is a commitment to the way things have always been done. This tradition coincides with some rural communities being seen as “back woods” or not embracing change. In an age where adjustment is required to keep pace with advances in technology and global markets, the tradition of assuming the same occupation as one’s parents is not always a viable option (Duncan, 2010). Where government and policy do not lend themselves to moving beyond nostalgia, rural communities suffer in that a limited range of employment options, and a lack of a diversified local economy discourages individuals from seeking to live and work in rural communities (Huang et al., 2002). In these situations, the economies of rural communities remain stagnant.

With a lack of a foundation for economic growth also come challenges in attracting jobs to rural communities, thereby creating a situation where capital is unequally distributed to urban areas over rural ones. High-paying service jobs in finance, law, medicine, and technology are typically reserved for urban centers, where unskilled careers like work in factories are the norm for rural employment (Duncan, 1999). Also, recent economic restructuring of a declining goods-producing industry can be attributed to exacerbating the inequality between urban and rural communities. This situation also creates problems when rural individuals hold multiple jobs over their lifetimes, never develop a traditional career, and prevent them from forging beneficial professional connections (Howley, 2009).

Adhering to tradition may also have benefits for rural youth. Although they might fear openly identifying with their rural heritage because of the potential for negative stereotyping, second-generation Appalachian students are nevertheless more forward and direct in communication and open to hearing other values and worldviews. With a stronger orientation toward family, a dominant work ethic, and a practical approach to education, Appalachian students are positioned to success in community-oriented work at home (Helton, 2010). Complying with rural traditions, then, has the capacity to set rural youth up for success within their communities. Abandoning the country lifestyle and its accompanying tenets for the overbearing values of the metropolitan mainstream is not necessary to equip rural youth with the tools to sustain their communities.

Role of Family

Delving into the institutions of family and religion illuminate the ways in which rural youth organize themselves within their communities. From 2008 through 2018, the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire is conducting a study on education and job opportunity decisions of young people in rural Coös County in northern New Hampshire. The Coös Study, as it is known, seeks to understand trends of how rural youth approach realizing their life goals. Students’ findings from the first half of this study show the impact of family on rural aspirations and students’ perception of their rustic homes.

For rural youth, mentorships play an informative role in developing ambition where they instill in rural students the idea that they can realize their achievements with dedication and hard work. Where family members comprise 68% of these relationships for Coös County youth, a positive experience with relatives in professional spheres encourages students to have more faith in bringing their goals to fruition. Rural students’ understanding of their relatives’ professional lives also has the potential to place strain on familial relationships. The study found that when families face economic pressure, rural students are more likely develop negative opinions of their parents and siblings. But that is not to say that these feelings necessarily deter rural youth in Coös County from considering family as an important factor in deciding where to make their lives. Although 76% of study participants said leaving Coös County was important, 93% said that living close to family was meaningful as well. These findings speak to the tenuous threshold and conflicting priorities in which rural students largely find themselves (Staunton & Jaffee, 2014).

What can be done, then, to reconcile these conflicting interests? From their findings, the Carsey Institute recommends expanding educational opportunities and strengthening professional mentorship bonds to alleviate the difficulties rural students face in realizing their goals. They encourage teaching youth money management skills to reduce the anxiety rural students of poverty might face in light of their families’ financial strain. Lastly, they urge for programs that provide assistance for families with fiscal issues that develop problem solving, communication, and conflict resolution skills (Staunton & Jaffee, 2014). Where familial relationships constitute a key thread in the rural fabric, investing in rural families is not only an investment in rural students, but their communities as well.

Role of Religion

Church is the hub of many rural areas and is relied upon as a foundation for shaping the culture, beliefs, and traditions of several rural communities. The church is a place for families to gather and for a sense of community to be established. According to Jones (1994), a leadi...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Part I: The Rural Life
• Part II: Identification, Curriculum, and Instruction for Rural Gifted Learners
• Part III: Affecting Change for Gifted Learners in Rural Communities
• About the Editors
• About the Authors