Explores the educational experiences of Australian travelling circus people, who regularly cross the boundaries between urban and rural, as evidence contradicting pervasive negative stereotypes about rural education. Discusses implications of these experiences for reinvigorating education in rural Australia. Calls for enactment of strategies that…

In response to the expense and unreliability of radio and telephone communications, the New South Wales (Australia) Department of Education and Training undertook a trial of satellite technology to deliver interactive lessons to elementary students in remote areas. The Gilat satellite system developed in Israel is described, including equipment,…

The article describes the history of education of blind and visually impaired people in Western Australia, culminating in integrated education in the 1970's and the subsequent effects of mainstreaming. It also discusses the special problems of itinerant teachers, who often travel hundreds of miles to see one student. (Author/DB)

Examines the philosophy and practices of Katherine School of the Air (KSA), a distance education school in the Northern Territory, Australia. Describes annual "inschool" experiences providing face-to-face contacts with teachers, particularly the home tutors' conference, which offers workshops to develop the skills of home tutors and…

The Commission on International Adult Education (CIAE) of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) provides a forum for the discussion of international issues related to adult education in general, as well as adult education in various countries around the globe. The following purposes summarize the work of the…

A study examined how coordinators and management committees successfully manage adult education agencies in rural New South Wales (Australia) during periods of adverse economic conditions. The harsh economic background consisted of economic recession combined with a crippling drought, which led to fewer course enrollments and, therefore, decreased…

Describes the success of various school projects which focused on Aboriginal culture. Suggests these projects encouraged parental involvement and also gave the entire Aboriginal community new respect, pride, and sense of ownership of their school. (NH)

Describes historical background, organization, funding, and current course structure and accreditation in Australia's national system of Vocational Education and Training (VET). Discusses implications of recent VET changes for rural college libraries in terms of providing appropriate resources to training programs and flexible services to students…

Describes the development of a flexible learning center at the rural Kalgoorlie campus of Curtin University (Australia). Discusses the flexible delivery approach to providing training that is responsive to client needs, the center's physical resources, staff development for flexible delivery, practices at other flexible learning centers, staffing,…

Over 80 isolated students in grades preK-7 participate in the Meekatharra School of the Air (MSOTA) in Western Australia. The "Composition over the Air" project provided MSOTA students with musical opportunities in collaboration with a composer, via two-way radio and at resident camps. (SV)

Many teacher educators today will find little difficulty in completing this cloze--but Bob Dylan's understanding of the outsider may not be one that we share in terms of our own experience as teacher educators. Our concern in this paper is to suggest that such an understanding may also be one that we do not often concern ourselves with on behalf…

Short descriptions and contact information for the 14 programs nominated for the 1996 Australian Rural Education Award. The winner's acceptance speech describes the Students at Risk Program at East Kalgoorlie Public School (Western Australia), a transportation and health support program developed from discussions with children and parents that…

A rural school principal from New Zealand participated in a principal exchange program that allowed her to visit various rural schools in Australia. She examined incentives to attract and retain teachers in remote schools, forms of teacher monitoring and appraisal, and the extent to which Australian parents and community members were involved in…

Explores quantitative and qualitative dimensions of rurality in pursuit of a definition. Distinguishes between rural education and education in rural areas. Discusses rural-urban differences in values and lifestyle. Advocates defining rurality from the rural resident's perspective, emphasizing diversity of social, cultural, and occupational…

This paper discusses issues in instructional material development for rural gifted children in Australia. Issues include who should develop curriculum materials, what form should enrichment materials take, which theoretical frameworks are appropriate, and how should content be selected. Interdisciplinary materials used in developing a unit in…