Half the world's population lives in rural places, but education scholars and policy makers worldwide give little attention to rural of education. Indeed, most national systems, including in the developed world, treat their educational systems as institutions to"modernize" the global economy. The authors in this volume have different concerns. They are rural education scholars from Australia, Canada, the United States, and Kyrgyzstan, and here their focus is the dynamics of social class: in particular rural schools but also in rural schooling as a local manifestation of a national (and the global) system. For the most part, the volume comprises relevant empirical reports, but none neglects theory, and some privilege theory and interpretation. First and last chapters introduce the texts and synthesize their joint and separate meanings. What are the implications of place for social class? How do class dynamics manifest differently in more and less racially homogeneous rural communities? How does place affect class and how might class affect place? How doesschooling in rural communities reproduce or interrupt social-class mobility across generations? The chapters engage such questions more completely than other volumes in rural education, not as afinal word or interm summary, but as an opening to an important lineof inquiry thus far largely neglected in rural education scholarship.

As its title implies, this book has a deceptively simple mission: to prepare would-be school leaders to draw upon a variety of theoretical perspectives when thinking about schools and schooling. It shows how theories can function as cognitive tools to be mastered, carefully stored in one's intellectual toolbox and used to interpret and resolve real world problems. Beneath this goal lies the belief that the most effective leaders are those who are able to construct their own well-grounded interpretations of events and their own responses to those events. Key features of this exciting new text include the following.
Focus on Alternative Theories - The functionalist theoretical views that have dominated administrator preparation programs for the last half-century are reviewed early in the book and are shown to be inadequate to the task of understanding and coping with the complex realities of modern day schooling. The remainder of the book presents alternative views of schooling that, taken together, can be thought of as a theoretical repertoire from which to construct interpretations and solutions to everyday, real-world problems.
Focus on Diversity - Diversity is examined from a variety of viewpoints. Chapter 6 looks at the cultural bases of leadership, Chapter 7 at comparative and international contexts, and Chapter 8 at gender and sexual orientation.
Illustrative Cases - Each chapter contains a case with an embedded dilemma similar to those that real-world administrators confront. While illustrating the particular theoretical view presented in the chapter, these cases are sufficiently complex that they lend themselves to interpretation by any of the other theoriesconsidered in the book.
This book is appropriate for graduate-level courses with titles such as Organizational Theory, Theory of School Leadership, or Introduction to Educational Administration. It might also be used as one of several texts in advanced courses on leadership theory.

As its title implies, this book has a deceptively simple mission: to prepare would-be school leaders to draw upon a variety of theoretical perspectives when thinking about schools and schooling. It shows how theories can function as cognitive tools to be mastered, carefully stored in one's intellectual toolbox and used to interpret and resolve real world problems. Beneath this goal lies the belief that the most effective leaders are those who are able to construct their own well-grounded interpretations of events and their own responses to those events. Key features of this exciting new text include the following. Focus on Alternative Theories - The functionalist theoretical views that have dominated administrator preparation programs for the last half-century are reviewed early in the book and are shown to be inadequate to the task of understanding and coping with the complex realities of modern day schooling. The remainder of the book presents alternative views of schooling that, taken together, can be thought of as a theoretical repertoire from which to construct interpretations and solutions to everyday, real-world problems. Focus on Diversity - Diversity is examined from a variety of viewpoints. Chapter 6 looks at the cultural bases of leadership, Chapter 7 at comparative and international contexts, and Chapter 8 at gender and sexual orientation. Illustrative Cases - Each chapter contains a case with an embedded dilemma similar to those that real-world administrators confront. While illustrating the particular theoretical view presented in the chapter, these cases are sufficiently complex that they lend themselves to interpretation by any of the other theories considered in the book. This book is appropriate for graduate-level courses with titles such as Organizational Theory, Theory of School Leadership, or Introduction to Educational Administration. It might also be use

This book answers two questions: What does the implementation of inclusive education require of a system of education and all parts of the system? How do various parts of the education system act on their commitment to inclusive educational practice? Decades after major legislation (i.e., the Civil Rights Act, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and the Education for All Handicapped Children Act) made high-quality education a fundamental right for all children in the United States, the dream of diverse, inclusive, democratic schooling has yet to be realized. Nevertheless, some classrooms, schools, districts, states, and universities have made progress. Inclusive Education: A Systematic Perspective explores the theoretical implications of inclusive practice as well as illustrative case studies and evaluation findings from states, educator preparation programs, districts, and schools that have reframed their work around the principles of inclusive practice. Whether these organizations position the work as "social justice education," "culturally responsive teaching," or "inclusion," their efforts lead in the same direction- toward higher quality and more equitable education for all. The chapters will be relevant to graduate students, faculty members, and education leaders, at all levels, who seek a comprehensive overview of the commitment and practice of "inclusive education". Chapters vary in their approaches to the topic, some presenting theoretical underpinnings, others describing practices or programs at particular sites, others reporting findings from empirical studies, and edited interviews with state and district leaders of inclusive-education initiatives. The book explores why inclusion is important and how it can be accomplished.

Half the world's population lives in rural places, but education scholars and policy makers worldwide give little attention to rural of education. Indeed, most national systems, including in the developed world, treat their educational systems as institutions to"modernize" the global economy. The authors in this volume have different concerns. They are rural education scholars from Australia, Canada, the United States, and Kyrgyzstan, and here their focus is the dynamics of social class: in particular rural schools but also in rural schooling as a local manifestation of a national (and the global) system. For the most part, the volume comprises relevant empirical reports, but none neglects theory, and some privilege theory and interpretation. First and last chapters introduce the texts and synthesize their joint and separate meanings. What are the implications of place for social class? How do class dynamics manifest differently in more and less racially homogeneous rural communities? How does place affect class and how might class affect place? How doesschooling in rural communities reproduce or interrupt social-class mobility across generations? The chapters engage such questions more completely than other volumes in rural education, not as afinal word or interm summary, but as an opening to an important lineof inquiry thus far largely neglected in rural education scholarship.

This book answers two questions: What does the implementation of inclusive education require of a system of education and all parts of the system? How do various parts of the education system act on their commitment to inclusive educational practice? Decades after major legislation (i.e., the Civil Rights Act, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and the Education for All Handicapped Children Act) made high-quality education a fundamental right for all children in the United States, the dream of diverse, inclusive, democratic schooling has yet to be realized. Nevertheless, some classrooms, schools, districts, states, and universities have made progress. Inclusive Education: A Systematic Perspective explores the theoretical implications of inclusive practice as well as illustrative case studies and evaluation findings from states, educator preparation programs, districts, and schools that have reframed their work around the principles of inclusive practice. Whether these organizations position the work as "social justice education," "culturally responsive teaching," or "inclusion," their efforts lead in the same direction- toward higher quality and more equitable education for all. The chapters will be relevant to graduate students, faculty members, and education leaders, at all levels, who seek a comprehensive overview of the commitment and practice of "inclusive education". Chapters vary in their approaches to the topic, some presenting theoretical underpinnings, others describing practices or programs at particular sites, others reporting findings from empirical studies, and edited interviews with state and district leaders of inclusive-education initiatives. The book explores why inclusion is important and how it can be accomplished.