The Life and Death of a Rural American High School (1995): Farewell Little Kanawha

This book published in 1995 explores the intersections of biography and history in a rural West Virginia school, examining the social, political, and economic forces that led to its closure. It provides an in-depth look at the school and challenges the idea that bigger schools are better.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 360 pages
Publication date: 31 March 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Published in 1995, this book delves into a comprehensive research project that focuses on a rural school in West Virginia. Conducted from various social science perspectives, the book aims to capture the intersections between biography and history within a particular public school, Burnsville High and Middle School in Braxton County. This school, influenced by social, political, and economic forces, faced closure eventually. The author also explores how the example of this school can be applied within the framework of American public education and Western culture.

The book, based on unstructured interviews, oral histories, historical records, and intermittent fieldwork conducted between 1989 and 1992, offers a detailed examination of a specific school. It serves as a foundation for discussing rural schools in general. It challenges the notion that larger schools are inherently better and more efficient in terms of individual development, school social life, and the surrounding community. Additionally, it considers the scarcity of scholarly accounts available on the issues, controversies, and social dynamics that surround these vital community matters.

Dimension: 216 x 138 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781138477421