Professional Resources

Teachers are lifelong learners, and we want our site to be a resource that can help rural teachers grow and develop their practice. With that in mind, we offer the following suggestions for books, journals, websites, and professional organizations rural teachers may want to explore. If you are looking for in-person or online presentations for your school district, please contact us at Rural@vt.edu to discuss what we may be able to offer.

On this page, you’ll find announcements of upcoming events, information about Mentoring Virginia, lists of recurring publications (journals, newsletters, blogs, and podcasts), and lists of professional books, and organizations. Please email us at Rural@vt.edu to let us know about other resources we should add to this list!

Welcome to the Center for Rural Education!

Upcoming Events

Educational Webinars

Black Rural Education: A Front Porch Conversation

In honor of Black History Month, the Center for Rural Education hosted an online panel discussion (02/21/2024), “Black Rural Education: A Front Porch Conversation,” featuring panelists: Dr. Tameka Grimes (Virginia Tech), Dr. Sheneka Williams (Michigan State University), Dr. Jamon Flowers (University of Georgia), and Dr. Darris Means (University of Pittsburgh). This front porch conversation is moderated by Virginia Tech undergraduate student, Macie Alford.

Recurring Publications (Journals, Newsletters, Blogs, Podcasts)

The Daily Yonder (newsletter)
Cardinal News (newsletter)
The Rural Educator
Journal of Research in Rural Education
Theory & Practice in Rural Education
Rural Special Education Quarterly
Rural Sociology

Professional Books

Teaching in Rural Places: Thriving in Classrooms, Schools, and Communities (Azano, Brenner, Downey, Eppley, & Schulte, 2021)

This teacher education textbook invites preservice and beginning teachers to think critically about the impact of rurality on their work and provides an overview of what it means to live, teach, learn, and thrive in rural communities. This book underscores the importance of teaching in rural schools as an act of social justice―work that dismantles spatial barriers to economic, social, and political justice.

Serving Gifted Students in Rural Settings (Stambaugh & Wood, 2015)

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 Bloomsbury Handbook of Rural Education in the USA (Azano, Eppley, & Biddle [Eds.], 2021)

This handbook begins with a foundational overview of rural education, examining the ways in which definitions, histories, policies, and demographic changes influence rural schools, and includes how corporatization, population changes, poverty, and the role of data affect everyday learning in rural schools. Each section concludes with a response by an international scholar, situating the topics covered within the broader global context.

Rural Education Centers

The Virginia Tech Center for Rural Education relies on the friendship and support of colleagues involved with Rural Education Centers at other universities. We encourage you to reach out to any or all of them with your initiatives and ideas concerning rural students and communities!