Purpose: The overall purpose of this exploratory research was to better understand rural educators' feelings about school-based sex education in order to foster better communication and collaboration between prevention researchers and rural teachers and administrators. In order to accomplish this purpose, the research question asked "How does…

According to the annual industry report in "Training" magazine, money spent on employee training dropped approximately six percent--the first time that training expenditures have dropped since the mid 1990's. At the same time, web-based training increased from 48% of all computer-based training to 61% in just one year (2002-2003). The…

A four-year project compared how teachers, students, and parents perceived the climate of the secondary schools in Greenfield, Massachusetts, through responses to eight value statements about the purposes of school. Data suggested students felt more positive than parents or teachers about the school's ability to prepare them for later life. (NEC)

Twenty-five rural educators completed a 12-item Q-sort on stress factors. Resolving parent/school conflicts was the most stressful, followed by handling student discipline, and completing reports on time. The stressors varied somewhat from stressors listed by urban teachers, but only slightly. (BRR)

This paper presents the findings of a study of the effectiveness of collaboration between the Rural Education Research and Service Consortium at Tennessee Technological University and rural schools in its service area. The study uses the instrumentation and research design of the Good Schools Project (GSP) initiated by Kappa Delta Pi in 1984.…

Superintendents, principals, and teachers from a statistical sample of small schools throughout the United States completed a needs assessment questionnaire. Concerns seemed less related to curriculum and academics and more related to teacher and student attitude, motivation, and general well-being. Significant differences were found between the…

A survey of rural school administrators and college education faculty assessed attitudes toward educating the disabled and opinions about characteristics of effective rural education. Results documented a knowledge and attitude gap between rural and college educators. Both groups were unaware of issues identified in the research literature on…

In order to investigate the attitudes of Kansas teachers and principals toward rural and small school libraries, a sample of 400 schools with an enrollment of less than 600 was surveyed. Three copies of a 20-item questionnaire were sent to the principal of each identified school; principals completed one copy and selected two teachers to fill out…

A study in a remote, rural, mid-Atlantic school system assessed how teachers regarded the curriculum and their instructional needs; 226 personnel directly related to instructional services responded to the questionnaire, 42 were interviewed, and 72 were observed in classroom settings. Teachers generally rated themselves much more favorably than…

The study examined whether there were differences in the reasons first-year teachers in rural, urban, or suburban schools (1) accepted their present teaching positions and (2) might consider a teaching position in another school district. Subjects were 99 teacher graduates of the Universities of Iowa and Vermont who were teaching in suburban…

Using personnel files provided by New York's state education department, this study examines and compares teacher retention rates in relation to region and gender from 1974 through 1984 in school districts using alternative practices of internal salary distribution. A total of 57 school districts from 2 regions of the state were included in the…

The paper summarizes recruitment and retention approaches designed to assist rural school administrators in securing/holding well-prepared/qualified teachers and presents findings from a 1985 study that examined teachers' perceptions of professional preparation. Outlined recruitment approaches include paying candidate's interview and moving…

Twenty-eight rural elementary teachers showed positive changes in attitude toward perceived competencies in teaching physical sciences and students showed statistically significant cognitive gains as a result of teacher participation in a 4-month project. Teachers attended four workshops, hosted three on-site visits by university science…

Asserts that there is an educational crisis in the Arkhangel'sk area of Russia. Summarizes research studies of students and teachers to illustrate low teacher morale, student dissatisfaction, and low pay for all educators. Argues for financial autonomy for educational institutions. (CFR)

Presents study results of teaching social studies in a rural environment. Addresses size of school, teacher preparation in social studies, teacher orientation toward teaching content, and achievement scores. Concludes that teachers in rural schools have more positive opinions of their students but need additional teaching materials and inservice…