This blog is part of a Marzano Research series where we ask experts how they would invest $10 million in rural education. Browse the full series here.
For this fourth installment of Marzano Research’s “What would you do with $10 million to support rural schools?” series, I interviewed Dave Sather. With a career spanning over 15 years, Sather has worked in some of the nation’s most remote districts, from fly-in-only villages in Alaska to island-bound communities in Washington. Sather collaborates with Marzano Research as part of REL Northwest’s Washington Rural Alliance for Blending Learning—a partnership focused on supporting the needs of Rural Alliance member districts seeking to select, implement, and evaluate tech-enhanced learning opportunities for their students.
Inchelium School District, where Sather serves as principal, is a microcosm of the challenges faced by rural schools across the nation. Nestled on the Colville Reservation, 90 miles north of Spokane, Washington, breathtaking nature scenery is the backdrop of the district’s three schools. The district currently serves about 213 students with a dedicated staff of 20 certificated employees, 20 classified employees, and two administrators.
When Marzano Research’s Rural Education Practice Area Team reached out to Sather for his thoughts on how he would invest in rural schools if given $10 million, he zeroed in on improving the teacher pipeline. He envisions “a teacher program that would have candidates who could teach a myriad of subjects through PBL [Project-Based Learning] and who would stay in those rural schools.”
Teacher Scarcity
The root of the challenge: scarcity of teachers with diverse endorsements.
“Often teachers in rural schools are endorsed in only a few areas, and having specialized endorsements are hard to find,” Sather explained. “This would allow not only those content areas to be addressed but teach the content in such a fashion that is hands-on and meaningful for the students.”
A specialized endorsement is an additional credential that allows a teacher to teach a specific subject area or student population beyond their initial teaching certification. These could include subject-area endorsements like math or science, special education endorsements, or endorsements for teaching English language learners, for example.
Hiring existing educators with these qualifications has proved difficult.
“Rural schools often have a hard time attracting candidates who hold multiple endorsements,” said Sather.
On the bright side, Washington is among the states with the highest average rural educator salaries. However, competing with larger urban and suburban districts with higher budgets and more resources still makes it hard for districts like Inchelium to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers.
Inspiration from Alaska
In addition to a program dedicated to training teachers for placement in rural areas, Sather cited the innovative strategies employed by Alaskan districts as potential solutions.
“Alaskan districts have long been handling this issue and have implemented a number of strategies—from higher salaries to housing to extra perks—to attract a range of candidates willing to come to isolated locales that are often out of the cultural background of the candidates,” he said.
Cultural Awareness: A Crucial Component
Sather also emphasized that simply attracting teachers is not enough. Cultural sensitivity is particularly crucial in a district like Inchelium, where the majority of students are Native American. Sather’s ideal program would not only equip teachers with a broad range of subject expertise but also instill a deep understanding and respect for the unique cultural backgrounds of their students.
“I deeply believe that cultural awareness and appreciation needs to be ingrained in the program,” Sather said. “One of the greatest difficulties in teaching in ‘bush Alaska’ was having teachers from the Lower 48, often who have never taught, and having them teach cultural standards or not be offended or cause offense due to cultural differences.”
A Holistic Approach
Sather’s vision tackles two interrelated rural issues: the lack of teachers endorsed in multiple subjects, and the cultural disconnects that can arise when faculty come from outside the local community. His proposed pathway would train new educators to be well-versed across disciplines while also building cultural competency rooted in the traditions of the areas they will serve. By implementing these pathways and incentives, such as the ones some remote Alaska districts employ, rural schools like those in Inchelium can begin to level the playing field in the competition for talent.
About Dave Sather
Seasoned educator Dave Sather brings a multifaceted skillset to rural schools. For seven years, he has served as principal of Inchelium School District in northeastern Washington. Licensed in Washington, Oregon, and Alaska, his disciplinary focuses include grant writing, STEM, and Farm to School models. He holds a master’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Western Governors University, as well as a bachelor’s degree in political science from Pacific University.
Sources
About Us. (n.d.). Inchelium School District. Retrieved March 22, 2024, from https://www.inchelium.wednet.edu/page/about-us
Showalter, D., Hartman, S., Eppley, K., Johnson, J., & Klein, B. (2023, November 16). Why Rural Matters. National Rural Education Association. https://wsos-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/sites/18/10-26WRMReport2023_DIGITALFINAL.pdf
