(March 11, 2008) Athens, OHIO –“Schools, Neighborhoods and Communities” is the theme of the American Educational Research Association’s 2008 annual conference which will take place in New York City from March 24 through March 28. Responding to this theme, The Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education faculty members at Ohio University will be presenting research on a range of educational issues—from rural culture to international partnerships.

AERA is an international research organization with over 25,000 members, including university faculty members, administrators, other behavioral scientists, and employees of government agencies. According to Associate Dean Aimee Howley, “AERA provides an important forum for the research efforts of our The Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education faculty and students, and I am delighted to see the range of scholarly work representing our college.” Below is a description of the PCOE research that will be presented at AERA 2008.

Focusing on rural communities, Associate Professor Alie Woodrum draws on interviews with rural families to investigate the ways in which young people navigate the cultural divide between home and school. Of particular concern in his paper, “What Price Success? Schools and Assimilation in Appalachia,” is the way students work to balance school success with loyalty to the cultural values of their homes and communities.

School governance in rural communities is the topic of a study conducted by Assistant Professor Larry Burgess and Professor Aimee Howley. In their paper, “Will the Real ‘Open-door Policy’ Please Stand Up: Superintendent-Board Communication in Two Effective Rural Districts,” these researchers use data from qualitative case studies to interpret similarities and differences between communication approaches used by superintendents and boards in effective rural districts. Interestingly, they report, despite superficial similarities, underlying dynamics seem to differ substantially.

Based on her evaluation of a partnership between Ohio University and the University of Jordan, Associate Professor Teresa Franklin reports on an important effort to bridge cultural differences on behalf of high-quality teacher preparation. Her paper is titled, “Preparing Technology Proficient Teachers in Jordan: An Examination of the ICTE Program.” Looking at the effects of the program, Dr. Franklin explained, “The reason for doing international programs is to reach populations—women and children—that often are not part of a community. Technology empowers people that otherwise would have been voiceless.”

Associate Professors Guofang Wan and Dianne Gut organize a symposium "New Media and Education in the 21st Century," with reports on theoretical frameworks that enhances teaching and learning with technology, tools to evaluate students' technology skills, the importance of media literacy skills for children, ideas to fight online plagiarism among students, using video games to reach reluctant learners, and using assistive technology in special education. With Dianne being the chair and Guofang the discussant, this symposium brings together graduates from The Patton College, current graduate student, faculty members and area teachers.

A personal account of her experience with racism is offered by Associate Professor Adah Ward-Randolph in “Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil: African American Women’s Experiences of Racism in the Academy.” Looking for answers beneath a superficial story of student dissatisfaction, Ward-Randolph uncovers some unsettling dynamics. Students, she finds, use various institutional mechanisms to legitimize and take action on behalf of
a racist agenda. “It’s because I am a black woman in power,” she says. “If you really look at it, every ‘ism’ is about power.” Dr. Ward-Randolph is also presenting another paper that focuses on the dynamics of institutional racism: “The Politics and Process of Desegregation: The Case of Columbus, Ohio and its African American Teachers.”

With findings that reveal the influence of gender on instructional leadership, Donna Huber and her dissertation chair, Associate Dean Aimee Howley team up to present “Personal and Contextual Influences on High School Principals’ Leadership of Mathematics Education Reform.” Using data from a large-scale survey of Pennsylvania principals, these researchers report that female principals are more supportive than their male counterparts of reform practices in mathematics education. No other personal or contextual variables, however, seem to exert a significant influence on this aspect of instructional leadership.

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