Dr. Mitchell is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Leadership, Research, and Foundations (LRF) at UCCS. He has a background in k-12 education as a classroom teacher at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, and has served as a governmental administrator in Massachusetts and with the Colorado Department of Higher Education. Dr. Mitchell received his Ph.D. in Global Education from The Ohio State University. At UCCS, he focuses on global rural education, and is active in research and the development of legislation in support of teacher recruitment and retention in remote locations. He has collaborated with students and scholars in Australia, the United States, Morocco, Iran, Egypt, Brunei, and Bahrain, and continues to focus on challenges related to rural education across the globe. His recent work has been published in The Rural Educator, Journal of Education Human Resources, American School Board Journal, and the International Academic Forum Journal of Education and he is the co-author of the forthcoming text A Practical Guide to Theoretical Frameworks for Social Science Research with former UCCS faculty Dr. Andrea Bingham.

Ph.D. Global Education The Ohio State University - 2013  

M.A., History Northeastern University - 2001  

B.S., Journalism University of Colorado Boulder - 1992

• LEAD 8300  Leadership Excellence and Complex Organizations
• LEAD 1000  Historical, Philosophical, and Sociological Foundations of Education
• LEAD 7600  Doctoral Research Lab

Selected Publications
 
Bingham, A., Mitchell, R., Carter, D., (2024). A Practical Guide to Theoretical Frameworks for Social Science Research. Taylor & Francis. Forthcoming.
 
Mitchell, R. (2024). Bringing the outside in: Leveraging higher education resources to support diversity instruction in remote and rural schools. In L. Evans, K. Allen, & C. Turner (Eds.) Advancing Critical Praxis and Pedagogy Across Educational Settings. Springer. Forthcoming.
 
Mitchell, R., Tapia-Fuslier, N., Witkowsky, P. (2023). Socializing Non-Rural Leaders for Rural Community College Success. Journal of Education Human Resources. 41(4).
 
Mitchell, R. Hampton, P. & Robinson, M. (2022). Teacher Futures: Global Reaction to Teacher Shortages and Variations in Education Labor. Multidisciplinary Journal of Language and Social Science Education, 5(1), 133-144.
 
Mitchell, R., Hampton, P. & Robinson, M. (2022). Global Reaction to Shortages in Rural Locations. International Academic Forum Journal of Education. 10(3), 9-30.
 
Mitchell, R., Olsen, A. W., Hampton, P., Hicks, J., Long, D., & Olsen, K. (2019). Rural Exposures: An Examination of Three Initiatives to Introduce and Immerse Preservice Teachers into Rural Communities and Rural Schools in the U.S. and Australia. The Rural Educator, 40(2).
 
Mitchell, R. (2018). Rural and Remote Repair: Examining Workforce Shortages and Solutions Within Rural School Environments. International Online Journal of Primary Education, 7(2), 41-48.
 
Kaka, S., Clayton, G. & Mitchell, R.  (2018). Fixing the Educator Shortage at the District Level. American School Board Journal. https://www.nsba.org/newsroom/american-school-board-journal/asbj-august-2018/fixing-educator-shortage-district-level

 
Selected Presentations
 
Mitchell, R., Hinds, J. (2023). Rural and remote education: Outcomes and challenges. Paper presented at the 44th International Conference on Marketing, Education, Humanities, and the Social Sciences.
 
Mitchell, R., Johnson, N., Pettinger, A. (2022). Small schools do it best: An examination of the best practices of remote and rural schools. Paper presented at the National Forum to Advance Rural Education/114th NREA Convention and Research Symposium National Forum to Advance Rural Education
 
Mitchell, R. (2022). Collaborative rural teaching: Leveraging university faculty in remote and rural schools. Presentation at the 34th Conference of the Society for the Provision of Education in Rural Australia
 
Mitchell, R., DeHerrea, M., Oleson, M. (2022). Hiring the best people: Tools and analysis for district hiring. Presentation at the Colorado Association of School Executives Annual Meeting
 
Witkowsky, P., Mitchell, R. (2022). Human Resource Challenges at Rural Community Colleges in the U.S.. Presentation at the International Association of Student Affairs and Services
 
Mitchell, R. (2022). A Different Voice – Leveraging University Faculty in Rural School Teaching. Presentation at the National Congress on Rural Education in Canada