Teachers for Chicago is a program that recruits, educates, and trains new teachers. The Chicago Public Schools pays for candidates to earn a master's degree in education at a participating college or university. Participants work as interns for two years under the tutelage of a mentor. A sidebar describes how rural districts aggressively recruit…

This report provides Pennsylvania state legislators and educators with policy-relevant information about the distance learning needs of rural Pennsylvania school districts. Two surveys, covering rural and urban-suburban Pennsylvania school districts, examined distance learning programs and technologies currently being used and the possibility of…

Recruitment and retention of special education teachers and related services staff have been persistent problems of rural school districts nationwide. High teacher attrition rates have serious ramifications for personnel development and program stability. Effective recruitment strategies for rural areas have four main components: (1) emphasis on…

Designed to help educators and policymakers consider the effective use of currently-evolving distance learning technologies, this policy brief examines: (1) the need for distance learning; (2) the most promising combinations of technologies (two-way television, one-way television with audio return, and audiographics); (3) the cost-effectiveness of…

Intended to help a rural Alberta (Canada) school district improve its policies on school attendance areas, this report delineates (1) current policies and procedures; (2) the institutional, social, and environmental context of these policies; (3) parents' concerns; (4) alternatives for improving the district's policies; and (5) recommendations.…

Studies condition of school facilities in 223 rural and small schools in Kansas in 1984. Finds condition of facilities closely related to bonded indebtedness of the school district and replacement estimates exceeding $56 million. Discusses inability of wealth-poor districts to maintain buildings and need for legislative action on equity issues.…

A team of examiners from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reviews Portugal's education system in a three-part report. Part One begins with the consequences of the 1974 revolution, Portugal's economic problems, its impending attachment to the European Economic Community, and rising public expectations about…

The Major Project in the Field of Education stresses renewed and intensive efforts by Latin American and Caribbean Island countries to provide the resources and training necessary to meet basic education needs by the year 2000. This document examines project achievements, innovations, and problems through 1986 in the areas of rural education,…

Questionnaires surveying the extent of programs and support for education of the gifted and talented were received from 60 teachers and administrators in rural elementary and secondary schools in Nebraska's 11 most western counties. (The return rate of the mailed questionnaires was 24%). Results indicated that teachers and administrators…

Based on the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) recent report, this article provides the foundation for state accountability systems that focus on improvement. Contains NASBE's proposed Public Policy Position on Low Performing Schools. (Contains 14 references.) (Author/MLF)

Academic and social performance of 204 high school students who had attended one-teacher rural elementary schools in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Montana was investigated to determine if small school students were disadvantaged in a larger high school setting. Data gathered by questionnaires from students, school administrators, and counselors…

This book presents essays from educational reformers who examine efforts aimed at students at risk for failure in U.S. schools. It is divided into four parts. Part 1 considers the factors that place children at risk for educational failure. Part 2 describes the dangers for students of a system that fails to recognize and appreciate their…

Technological delivery systems currently available or in use are examined for adaptability by rural schools, especially high schools faced with increasing demands to expand curriculum. This report focuses on the Mid-Continent Regional Educational Laboratory's (McREL's) service area of Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South…

Alternative models of rural school improvement consortia were identified through a review of research literature in order to determine what existing models were applicable to rural school consortia in the northwest United States. Organization structure of rural school collaboratives and characteristics associated with successful functioning were…

Duties of 46 county school superintendents in Oklahoma were analyzed and educational benefits of statutory provisions and additional activities were evaluated. Questionnaires, telephone and personal interviews, and on-site visits provided data. Statutory duties were found to be present in each superintendent's report and to be mostly clear and…