ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an in-depth, qualitative case study of the grant’s curricular implementation within one treatment district in rural Appalachia. This particular district’s size, geographical layout, and administrative organization suggest that its experiences might illuminate issues facing other small districts wishing to implement a place-based language arts curriculum designed for advanced learners. The district had a single itinerant teacher who worked with third and fourth graders identified as gifted in all of the district’s seven elementary schools. Data included classroom observations, interviews with the teacher, fidelity logs, and parent interviews. Data analysis led to several thematic understandings related to (a) the teacher’s comfort in implementing the curriculum; (b) the teacher’s willingness to modify the curriculum; (c) the itinerant gifted teacher service delivery model in a rural school district; and (d) parents’ observations of gifted services. Rural schools face unique challenges imposed by inadequate instructional space and limited instructional technology. However, the Promoting PLACE curriculum proved to be robust in accommodating modifications designed to address these issues, suggesting that certain types of modification can assist other teachers who may face similar constraints in their instructional settings.
