Systemic Approaches for Professional Development on Diverse Learners in Rural Communities

While rural communities are not monolithic, many have seen recent shifts in demographics from historically homogenous populations to more racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse residents (e.g., Sharp & Lee, 2017; Brenner, 2016). Such shifts can occur very rapidly as new regional economic, social, or political forces emerge and are particularly impactful on educational communities which may have little time to adjust to the distinct needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students (Hansen-Thomas et al., 2016). Without clear systems for addressing such changes, reactionary policies to address the accompanying conflict can establish marginalized communities, deficit-based perspectives, and structural inequities (Lee & Sharp, 2017). As an alternative approach, this paper outlines promising practices for systemic approaches to addressing the ongoing professional development needs for teachers in rural communities who are supporting students from increasingly diverse backgrounds. These practices provide the support and professional development that is needed to meet emerging student needs and strengthen educators' self-efficacy (Flores et al., 2008) in relation to working with diverse populations. Research addressing the specific needs of a growing number of rural districts with low-incidence populations of students who are learning English as an additional language, known as "English learners" or "ELs," is limited. This paper, then, focuses on state-level teacher certification policies and accompanying postsecondary teacher training programs that are designed to ensure that teachers are prepared to meet the needs of students who are learning English as an additional language.