It's all about the quality of advice, guidance, and research for rural educators: a rejoinder to Howley, Theobald, and Howley

Howley, Theobald, and Howley (2005) appear to focus on two major issues in their reply to the McREL review (Arnold, Newman, Gaddy, & Dean, 2005): (a) the utility of quantitative study of schools in the "rural lifeworld," and (b) the motivation of McREL staff members for reviewing the content and methods of existing rural education research. The underlying premise of the authors' review of rural research is that all children and schools, including those in rural settings, deserve access to the very best information about high-quality and effective schooling. While Howley et al. may choose to see the authors' belief that rigorous research can improve schools as "hubris," the authors view it as practical wisdom.