Describes high school courses, K-12 student enrichment programing, and inservice teacher training offered by interactive (two-way audio) instructional television satellite systems. Outlines the benefits of live, satellite television instruction for rural and small schools. Contains 11 references. (SV)

This handbook presents a snapshot view of the use of telecommunications technologies to deliver instruction to distant audiences of K-12 students in the United States. The information is intended specifically for people who work in and with small, rural, or remote schools. Available technologies and programming vary widely in offerings and…

Distance education technologies can help rural schools overcome the disadvantages of geographic isolation by expanding course offerings and learning opportunities and by connecting teachers with resource materials and training programs. Classroom-focused distance learning is distance insensitive and implies simultaneous instruction of several…

Technological developments of the past decade have increased the potential of distance learning and telecommunications to help rural schools overcome disadvantages of remoteness, geographic isolation, lack of specialized staff, and limited program offerings. Classroom-focused distance learning is distance insensitive and involves transmission of a…

This keynote speech discusses the rise of telecommunicated distance education in the United States. Interactive satellite broadcasts for K-12 instruction are now received by more than 1,000 schools in more than 40 states. Similarly, many states are working with two-way interactive television projects, slow-scan television systems, and…

A national survey of 130 single-campus, K-12 public schools enrolling fewer than 300 students revealed that half of the schools reported implementing some type of distance learning program, that satellite-based programs were the technology of choice, and that the mean dollars expended for distance learning ranged between $6,838 and $19,335. (LP)

To develop a list of research priorities for rural education, members of the Rural Education Association's (REA) Research Committee and Executive Board were asked to rank order nine thematic research categories. The ranking process resulted in the following list (starting with the highest priority): (1) rural school effectiveness; (2) staff…

To determine the core curriculum and the specific curriculum needs of small high schools today, questionnaires were mailed to a sample of 475 public high schools with enrollments of less than 500 students. Principals were asked to indicate which of 105 courses listed on the questionnaire were in their school's curriculum and to rate the need for…

Describes the German by Satellite program broadcast by Oklahoma State University to small rural high schools. Outlines school costs for program participation and equipment purchases. Lists program strengths and weaknesses identified in a survey of administrators in 30 participating schools. (SV)

Small and rural schools can use the new technologies of distance education to broaden curricular offerings while facing low student enrollments and increased costs. Courses offered via audio teleconferencing permit live teacher/student interaction and often use videotape as well as two-way audio components. Programs from the University of…

Three telecourse programs offering high school credit courses via interactive satellite communication are described and evaluated. German by Satellite and Physics by Satellite from Oklahoma State University feature biweekly 40-minute broadcasts with audio interaction via regular telephone lines and microcomputer voice recognition software at…

An evaluative questionnaire completed by 30 high school principals and 159 high school students who used the TI-IN Network demonstrated the advantages of interactive satellite television instruction for rural and small schools. The study found that a large number of subscribers to TI-IN were small rural high schools whose principals stated that…

High school administrators in sparsely populated rural areas are showing great interest in interactive satellite instruction as a way to resolve teacher shortages and meet rigorous state graduation requirements. Televised classes permitting live teacher/student interaction via satellite communication systems and regular telephone lines provide…

Rural schools typically face multiple challenges related to providing educational opportunities for students and staff. A comparison of curricular offerings in English, foreign languages, and mathematics in a Chicago suburban high school, a rural high school district, and a small rural unit district reveals the curricular disadvantages of small…

Federal statistics reveal that 59.5 million Americans live outside urban areas, and the public school students who live in these rural areas constitute the largest minority public school population in this country; however, the lion's share of attention, research, and federal and state financial support goes to large schools in metropolitan areas.…