Find the Rural in the REL Rural Education Project

I'm exited to see the great rural education projects the Regional Educational Laboratory System has produced with the $40 million they've spent over the past 2.5 years. This description of Effects of Odyssey Math® Software on the Mathematics Achievement of Selected Fourth Grade Students in the Mid-Atlantic Region: A Multi-Site Cluster Randomized Trial shows the commitment the Institute of Education Sciences has toward addressing the unique needs of rural school:

This study will examine the effectiveness of the CompassLearning Odyssey Math® software in 4th grade classrooms throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. The intervention group will use the Odyssey Math® package for 60 minutes per week within the school's standard Math instructional time, and have access to the developer's professional development training; the control group will use the school's regular curriculum. Key research questions to be addressed are:

1. Do Odyssey Math® classrooms outperform control classrooms on the mathematics subtest of the Terra Nova CTBS Basic Battery?
   
2. What is the effect of Odyssey® Math on the math performance of male and female students?
   
3. What is the effect of Odyssey Math® on the math performance of low and medium/high achieving students (as measured by the pretest)
   

Intervention:CompassLearning Odyssey Math® software and related training is a commercially available product and several schools in the Mid-Atlantic region either use it or expressed and interest in doing so. The software engages students in their own learning through challenging, interactive, computer-based activities that promote exploration, individual and cooperative learning, problem solving, reflection, and real-world connections. Teachers will use the software as a supplement, as opposed to a full curriculum package, and have access to a professional development package that entails summer training and follow-up coaching throughout the year. Software access is controlled via password access and the training scheme represents the standard approach the developer offers to schools.

Design and samples:The study is a multi-site cluster randomized controlled trial, where approximately 124 classrooms will be assigned to treatment and control conditions within schools (approximately 31). Schools will be recruited from the Mid-Atlantic region and preference will be given to buildings with at least four classrooms. Schools that already use Odyssey Math® in the third and fourth grades are not eligible to participate in the study.

Outcome measures:Math achievement will be measured during the 2007-08 school year using the 4th grade mathematics subtest of the Terra Nova CTBS (Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills) as pre and post-tests. The test vendor's scoring service will be used to make allowances for special education students and English language learners. To address the research question on whether there are differential impacts of the package on high/medium versus low math achievers, a series of secondary analyses will split students into groups based on pretest performance.

Study period:Recruitment and initial teacher training will take place during the 2006-2007 school year. Data will be collected during the 2007-2008 school year.

Did you see what's rural about the project? Neither did I. I'm sure it's a fine study otherwise.