The National Center for Research on Rural Education (R²Ed) invites you to peruse the newest edition of the Rural360° – an electronic newsletter that aims to provide researchers, educators and community leaders with insights into the dedicated efforts of our personnel and collaborators throughout the United States.

The University of Florida's Cathy Cavanaugh revealed a decade of research-based lessons in online teacher professional development when she participated in the Creating Rural Connections Speaker Series on Oct. 3.

Hosted by the National Center for Research on Rural Education (R²Ed), Cavanaugh's presentation addressed educator-centered applications of distance technology and the qualities inherent to successful professional development.

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Cathy Cavanaugh serves as Associate Professor of Educational Technology at the University of Florida's School of Teaching and Learning. Dr. Cavanaugh's primary research interests include indicators of quality in online and blended education and equitable access to quality education through technology. She has served as Assistant Director of the Florida Center for Instructional Technology and as Co-Director of the Northeast Florida Science, Technology and Mathematics Center. She previously taught at rural schools in Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Dr. Cavanaugh shares her thoughts about technology's capacity to assist rural schools, distinctions between on-site vs. online professional development, and keys to increasing the diffusion of distance education in this Rural360° interview.

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Dr. Lisa Knoche and colleagues analyzed the effectiveness of Getting Ready – an intervention approach emphasizing parent-child engagement and family-school partnerships – within the context of an Early Head Start program in a rural Midwestern community. The researchers specifically examined Getting Ready's impact on parental warmth, encouragement and learning support.

This one-page digest details the study's methodology and summarizes its primary findings.

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With Nebraska farmers preparing for the annual harvesting of crops, the National Center for Research on Rural Education (R²Ed) recently took the opportunity to share its own yield with residents from across the state.

R²Ed researchers and staff shared information about the center's efforts to improve rural education during the 34th Annual Husker Harvest Days, held Sept. 13-15 on the outskirts of Grand Island, Neb.

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