Erin McHenry-Sorber

The Power of Competing Narratives: A New Interpretation of Rural School-Community Relations

Often considered harmonious places, rural communities are in reality spaces often fragmented along class lines, with political factions promoting competing values and interests regarding the purpose of schooling. Using an exemplar case, this study affords us a new interpretation of rural school-community relations in times of conflict. It illustrates the ways in which opposing groups consolidate political power around competing narratives of the rural community. The goal is the realization of a hegemonic narrative of community, in which one group is socially excluded and the other gains the political power necessary to influence school district decision-making.

Confronting Rapid Change: Exploring the Practices of Educational Leaders in a Rural Boomtown

ABSTRACT Hydraulic fracturing has altered the face of rural communities across the United States, creating new demands for educational leaders. This in-depth qualitative study explores how rural educational leaders in a heavily drilled community experience and respond to these challenges with a focus on increased local student transiency, homelessness, and the influx of newcomers, including English language learners. The research finds that leaders respond to transient outsider needs through a discourse of compliance and engage in contextually responsive, collaborative responses to meet the needs of community insiders. The authors find little evidence of critical place-conscious leadership in this rapidly changing social and economic context.