This study examines the perceptions of 113 school board members, 119 principals, and 2,028 teachers from 9 states (Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming) regarding the preparation of teachers and the availability of professional services as well as education resources. The study also…

Part 1 of the annual Educational Research Service, Inc. (ERS) National Survey of Salaries and Wages in Public Schools reports data for the 1984-85 school year on salaries scheduled for 23 selected professional positions, including superintendents, associate superintendents, other central office administrators, principals, assistant principals,…

Findings of a study to establish the determinants and effects of urban to rural population migration patterns in Osceola County, Michigan, where a 27.6% increase (4,090 people) occurred during the 1970's, illustrate typical effects of population migration turnaround on nonmetropolitan schools. The study revealed that school facilities were…

Research reports from multiple studies in dozens of states have shown there are advantages to learning in small schools. To take advantage of the assets of rural schools and small-town survival, new state policy directions will be necessary in finance, facilities, teacher pay, preparation, and professional and curriculum development. (Contains 10…

A partnership involving eight rural school districts in Indiana developed out of the need for a cooperative services organization to communicate with its school board members. A Joint Services Cooperative Committee composed of one or two school board members from each district visits classes, reviews program policies, and keeps fellow board…

Although intrusive factors--such as the economy--have limited recent strides toward improving rural education, there are components of excellence within the realm of local determination that are appropriate to conditions, circumstances, and aspirations surrounding the schooling process in rural areas. The educational reform movement in most states…

The consolidation of rural schools in the United States has been a controversial topic for policy-makers, school administrators, and rural communities since the 1800s. Issues in the consolidation movement have been concerns of efficiency, economics, student achievement, school size, and community identity. Throughout the history of schooling in…

This document aims to assist understanding of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and to insure the implementation of a school discount methodology that is rational, equitable, and methodologically defensible. Based on a merged database containing data from 8,814 schools, 5,670,452 students, and 18 telecommunication companies in 7 states, this…

This report, which compiles the results of 89 superintendent district-level surveys and 315 building surveys, was a combined effort of the Idaho Department of Education, the Idaho Division of Vocational Education, and the Rural Education Program at Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. Its purpose is to provide an initial framework for…

This study investigated the need for distance learning in Pennsylvania's rural schools, examined types of distance learning programs and technology currently being used, and identified factors that could enhance or inhibit the use of distance learning in rural schools. Data collection included (1) a literature search, (2) surveys administered to…

Published and unpublished literature is reviewed to identify and describe patterns of delivering vocational agriculture and home economics programs to students in small rural secondary schools. A conceptual model is developed based on patterns found in the literature. Non-school-based, school-based, and a combination of the two are identified as…

Ontario public school systems are responsible for ensuring that Ministry of Education documents, such as subject guidelines, are implemented in their schools. This paper describes an implementation plan developed and used in Simcoe County by a large rural school board with modest program support staff. Four distinct phases characterize this…

Information available on rural education remains startlingly inadequate--partly because of the great diversity of rural areas, because agencies responsible for data collection disagree on the definition of small/rural schools, and because large metropolitan schools have received far more than their share of attention, research, and financial…

Nearly one in three of America's school-age children attend public schools in rural areas or small towns, and more than one in six go to school in the very smallest communities. These children, their schools, and their communities matter, and they deserve more consideration than they get in the national debate over education policy. This report…

The Oregon Quality Education Model (QEM) was developed by the state to identify the fundamental requirements and costs for a quality education that meets Oregon's academic standards. It will determine the funding of Oregon schools. Among the assumptions upon which the QEM is built were that elementary school enrollment is 340 students, middle…