“We Just Can't Wait”: Rural Teacher Agency in Reading Professional Development

Literacy is a civil right that every child should have access to. Despite decades of research on how children best learn to read, literacy rates continue to be diminished in the United States, leading children to lives of poverty, unemployment and even crime. Via policy and research, the focus in literacy has shifted to teacher learning as a means to improve student achievement in reading. However, teachers’ voices are largely omitted from discussions regarding how this learning should take place and how they are empowered to apply new knowledge in their classrooms. Through an examination of teachers’ experiences with state mandated reading professional development, it is possible to glean understandings of what professional development practices are most helpful to teachers, particularly in rural areas. The proposed study seeks to answer two essential questions: 1) What factors contribute to rural elementary teachers’ experiences with LETRS professional development? and 2) In what ways do these factors act as facilitators and barriers to teachers' professional development? This study will follow a case study design, collecting data through focus groups. The findings of this study will highlight the experiences of teachers in rural areas, who are often omitted from educational research. More specifically, it will provide valuable guidance around the considerations of context when designing and delivering professional development.