The North Dakota Teacher Support System (NDTSS) mentoring program is available to 1st-year teachers employed in the state public schools. Because there has been limited research on the topic, the purpose of this study was to increase the understanding of how participation in the mentoring program affects the experiences and developing effectiveness of 1st-year teachers in rural schools, which is important because teacher retention and recruitment are a concern in rural schools. This study was set within a conceptual framework of andragogy and constructivism and guided by 2 research questions that inquired about the experiences of teaching in a rural school and working with an NDTSS mentor through the 1st year of teaching. This descriptive, embedded, single case study focused on 11 new teachers in rural schools who participated in the NDTSS program. Through constant comparison, 11 interviews, 6 sets of conference logs, and 5 performance rubrics were analyzed for the sample as well as NDTSS survey data completed by 154 new teachers. The results led to 11 themes that revealed each participant had unique experiences working with a mentor. Additionally, working with a mentor provided support to deal with challenges and develop teaching effectiveness, especially when there was a positive relationship between the mentor and new teacher. These findings guided the development of a professional development project for rural NDTSS participants, aimed at providing additional support to new teachers as they work with their mentors to develop their teaching identity and effectiveness. The results of this study contribute to positive social change by increasing the understanding, appreciation, and support of the experiences of 1st-year teachers, especially in rural schools, which holds the potential to strengthen teaching and learning in the state's rural schools.

Implementation of the common core state standards began in 2010 for public school districts across the United States, and research about the impact of these standards on teaching and learning in smaller rural schools is limited. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to describe how K-12 English language arts teachers in rural remote schools integrated the common core state standards into curriculum, as defined by Aoki's theory about planned and lived curriculums, which formed the conceptual framework for this research. Participants included 8 K-12 English language arts teachers from 2 rural remote public school districts located in a western state. Research questions addressed curricular and instructional alignment, and data were collected from individual teacher interviews and reflective journals, observations of instructional lessons, and curriculum documents. Data were coded and categorized to determine themes and discrepant data (Charmaz, Merriam, and Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña). A content analysis was used for documents. Results indicate that teachers aligned curriculum with common core state standards by using previously adopted textbooks, developing alignment documents to address standards, creating unit and lesson materials independently, and participating in limited collaborative planning with colleagues. Recommendations include continued investigation into rural teachers' professional development needs, collaborative planning practices, and use of curriculum materials within and across grade levels. This study contributes to positive social change because improved rural education impacts rural remote students, communities, and educators, who play a valuable role in developing a national curriculum.

Submitted by Aline Batista (alinehb.ufpel@gmail.com) on 2016-03-23T21:37:19Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Da escola na zona urbana para a escola do - no campo.pdf: 1376209 bytes, checksum: 9ceaec82b65a40d50bd85891bfeed117 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Aline Batista (alinehb.ufpel@gmail.com) on 2016-03-23T22:14:07Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Da escola na zona urbana para a escola do - no campo.pdf: 1376209 bytes, checksum: 9ceaec82b65a40d50bd85891bfeed117 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Aline Batista (alinehb.ufpel@gmail.com) on 2016-03-23T22:15:10Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Da escola na zona urbana para a escola do - no campo.pdf: 1376209 bytes, checksum: 9ceaec82b65a40d50bd85891bfeed117 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-23T22:16:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Da escola na zona urbana para a escola do - no campo.pdf: 1376209 bytes, checksum: 9ceaec82b65a40d50bd85891bfeed117 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-05-06 / Sem bolsa / Esta tese apresenta um estudo, realizado no período de 2009/2013, que objetivou compreender como acontece o processo de adaptação de professores da zona urbana em escolas do/no campo, no município de Pelotas/RS. Nossa hipótese era que para esses professores que possuem precário conhecimento da realidade rural porque não vivem, não pertencem a ela, não estão inseridos nela, esse processo se torna mais complexo levando-os apenas a um processo de adaptação à rotina escolar rural. Metodologicamente, investimos em pesquisa qualitativa que se baseou em entrevistas, observações de aula e respectivas análises. O trabalho contou com a participação de sete professoras de uma escola do/no campo. Para o embasamento teórico, recorremos a autores que propiciaram o devido suporte. Dentre eles, destacamos: Leite (2002), Caldart (2002), Fernandes (1999, 2004), Souza (2006), Pérez Gómez (2001), Arroyo (1982, 2004, 2007), Nóvoa (1995, 1997) e Freire (1996). Voltar o olhar para esse profissional e seu processo de adaptação a esse contexto é um exercício que ajuda na construção de novos conhecimentos acerca da docência; é uma oportunidade de expor os saberes que esses sujeitos urbanos mobilizam ao desempenhar suas atividades docentes e fomentar discussões sobre a Educação do Campo e formação de professores. Também se constitui em uma possibilidade de valorização do contexto rural tão pouco explorado no meio acadêmico e que carece de pesquisas visando à qualificação da educação. Notamos que pouca ou nenhuma ênfase é dada à necessidade de acompanhamento ao professor recém-chegado para possibilitar/facilitar a adaptação desse profissional. Concluímos que a adaptação do professor urbano acontece de forma gradual e exige que esse esteja atento à importância de entender a rotina do homem rural que determina os hábitos e costumes dos educandos para melhor desempenhar a docência. Alterações na estrutura organizacional das escolas e nos programas de formação docente são fundamentais para mudanças nesse quadro. / This work consists of a study carried out between 2009 and 2013, which sought to understand how the process of adaptation of teachers from the urban area to rural schools occurs in the municipality of Pelotas/RS. The hypothesis was that for those teachers, who hardly know the reality of the countryside because they do not live there, do not belong there, are not inserted in it, the process would be more complex, consisting basically of an adaptation to the routines of a rural school. The methodological procedures have been those of qualitative research, based on interviews, class observation and their respective analysis . The research has had the participation of seven teachers at one countryside school. The theoretical framework has been supplied, among others, by Leite (2002), Caldart (2002), Fernandes (1999, 2004), Souza (2006), Pérez Gómez (2001), Arroyo (1982, 2004, 2007), Nóvoa (1995, 1997) and Freire (1996). Turning our eyes to those professionals and their process of adaptation to this new context is an exercise that helps building a new knowledge about teaching; it is an opportunity of revealing the knowledge mobilized by these urban subjects in carrying out their teaching activities; it is, as well, an opportunity for stimulating a discussion about Rural Education and Teacher Education. It also constitutes a possibility of empowering the rural context, which is poorly addressed in academic studies and lacks research for the quality of education. We have observed that little if any emphasis is given to the need of accompanying the newly-arrived teachers in order to make either possible or easier their adaptation. We have concluded that the adaptation of those teachers occurs gradually, requiring their attention, so as to better carry out their teaching, to the importance of understanding the routines of the countrymen, which will have an effect over the habits and routines of the students. In order to achieve changes in this picture, changes in the organizational structure of schools and in the programs of teacher education are fundamental.