A Systematic Review of Research on the Experiences of Rural Black Men Attending Four-Year Institutions Within the US Since 2002

This systematic literature review focuses on the experiences of rural Black men attending four-year colleges and universities within the US. The review addresses three research questions: How is rurality defined within the literature reviewed? What characteristics (e.g., identity dimensions) are included within the literature? What does the available research say about the experiences of rural Black students, mainly rural Black men, specific to factors explored and identified to foster success? These research questions were answered by reviewing literature published in academic journals from 2002–2023. Findings from the data collection, extraction, and analysis process are relevant to how rurality is discussed within the literature; the characteristics represented within the literature; the experiences of rural Black collegians, including Black men; and the factors contributing to this population’s success in college, while reflecting on gaps within the available research literature. The article concludes with implications for future research and practice

Editorial insights: Reflections on the volume and charge to the field

In this, the final chapter of Section 3, the authors document an interview that took place in June of 2024, as the editorial team wrapped up reviews of the chapters submitted to this volume. The interview was led by two of the advisory board members, Meghan Shaughnessy and Barbara Stengal, and included the editorial group, Heather Howell, Carrie Wilkerson Lee, Liza Bondurant, and Bima Sapkota, and other members of the advisory board, Greg Benoit and Yvonne Lai. The motivation to create this interview- based chapter was to capture some of the authors’ own learning and reflection as they brought the volume together

Historic Preservation Student Alliance Meeting with Architect Tracy Ward

During the March 2025 Mississippi State University Historic Preservation Student Alliance meeting, architect Tracy Ward shared his experience and discussed the restoration of a building in Alpharetta, Georgia

Living Act 31: Perspectives From Bayfield, Wisconsin

In this article, we discuss the teaching of Indigenous land sovereignty, history, and culture, commonly referred to as Act 31, in the School District of Bayfield in Bayfield, Wisconsin. Since the legislative mandate in 1991, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has strongly recommended that Wisconsin students receive instruction related to Act 31 twice in elementary school and once in high school. However, because Act 31 is not strictly enforced, there is uneven implementation throughout the state. At the School District of Bayfield, teaching Act 31 is mainstreamed in the curriculum. Here, five teachers offer their vignette, or story, on infusing Act 31 into their instruction. This scholarship emerged from a collaboration between the School District of Bayfield and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s School of Education

Rough Draft Math for Engaged Learning

Mathematics educators often face the challenge of students disliking mathematics or experiencing a negative relationship with the subject. Intentional teaching practices can be a mechanism to mitigate this challenge; thus, preservice and novice teachers would benefit from opportunities to develop such teaching practices. This research explored the potential of rough draft math (RDM) to support teachers in addressing these issues. RDM is a pedagogical approach where students discuss and share their preliminary mathematical ideas without the fear of being wrong. Teachers welcome rough draft thinking, which gives students explicit opportunities to review their work or thinking. This study examined the impact of RDM on preservice and novice secondary mathematics teachers through their written reflections on opportunities to learn about the approach through readings. Findings suggested that the readings can promote preservice and novice teachers\u27 awareness of how RDM can foster a more comfortable and engaging learning environment, highlighting the importance of teachers holding a nonevaluative stance toward students\u27 thinking and teachers\u27 roles in facilitating mathematical discourse

Secondary Mathematics Teacher Recruitment Campaign 2.0: Implementation Guide

This guide is designed to help faculty members and others within mathematics or STEM teacher education programs maximize their impact on teacher candidate recruitment. ...Intended to serve as a campaign implementation handbook for teacher recruitment for mathematics and other STEM fields, the elements in this guide were compiled to address general principles of marketing. Each module is designed to stand-alone addressing a specific recruitment topic, but with sufficient knowledge carry-over from one module to the other to allow those interested in recruitment to implement a comprehensive campaign

Advancing Telemedicine Adoption: Insights From Health Behavior Models With a Focus on the Multi-Theory Model

Telemedicine, the use of digital communication technologies to deliver clinical healthcare remotely, has emerged as a pivotal advancement in modern medicine. By providing virtual consultations, asynchronous data transmission, and remote patient monitoring (RPM), telemedicine enhances accessibility, particularly for underserved populations, while promoting efficiency and continuity of care. As telemedicine transforms healthcare delivery, its adoption hinges on understanding health behaviors—actions influenced by psychological, sociocultural, and environmental factors. These behaviors can be categorized into preventative, illness, and risk-related actions, with established models like the Health Belief Model (HBM), Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), and Transtheoretical Model (TTM) offering insights into behavior change mechanisms. The Multi-Theory Model (MTM), integrating constructs from various frameworks, is particularly well-suited to guide telemedicine adoption. MTM addresses both initiation and maintenance of behaviors through components such as participatory dialogue, behavioral confidence, and environmental modifications. Emotional transformation and social support further sustain long-term engagement with telemedicine. This comprehensive approach positions MTM as a valuable tool for overcoming barriers like privacy concerns, technological literacy, and infrastructure gaps. This review explores the application of health behavior models to telemedicine adoption, emphasizing the strengths of MTM in addressing the complexities of behavior change. By leveraging MTM, healthcare systems can enhance telemedicine utilization, ultimately improving health outcomes and equity in care delivery

NREA Policy and Advocacy: An Interview With Outgoing Executive Director Dr. Allen Pratt

In December 2024, Dr. Allen Pratt stepped down as Executive Director of the National Rural Education Association (NREA). During his eight years as executive director, the membership of NREA grew, and the organization became increasingly visible in state and national rural education policy. Policy Brief editor Devon Brenner sat down with Dr. Pratt to learn more about the advocacy work of NREA and key issues facing rural schools. Below is an excerpted transcript of that conversation

A Landscape Analysis of Civic and Community Engagement in Community Colleges

Providing opportunities for civic learning and democratic engagement has been central to the community college mission for over 100 years. This report presents findings from the 2024 AmeriCorps Civic Engagement among Community Colleges Project (ACECCP) survey, highlighting the ways and extent to which community colleges demonstrate an intentional commitment to civic and community engagement, illustrating how they incorporate this intentionality into curricular and co-curricular structures, and identifying the barriers and challenges that may preclude some colleges from engaging more fully in their civic mission. The report offers recommendations for future research on the positive impacts of community colleges in their local communities and for two- and four-year collaborative initiatives to expand civic engagement practices