The proceedings consist of the entire major addresses of Senator Nancy Landon Kassebaum, Steve Miller, and Walter Turner, and abbreviated versions of 29 other papers or presentations. The materials deal with a variety of rural-focused topics: women (Evelyn Hausmann); teacher career ladder plans (Paul Burden); inservice (Robert Norton, Myron…

Examined relationship between 1983-84 Nebraska high school enrollments and program breadth and junior-senior high school enrollments and teacher endorsement rates. Concluded rural district reorganization/consolidation resulting in larger secondary grade enrollments would probably result in more course offerings but would not affect percentage of…

Traces decline of one-room schools from 24,000 in 1959 to about 840 today. Reports findings from 1984 survey of 643 surviving one-room schools in Nebraska, Montana, South Dakota, California, and Wyoming. Includes data on enrollments, teacher qualifications and responsibilities, student achievement, and school facilities/equipment. (NEC)

To provide information on characteristics of rural and small schools in Region VII of the U.S. Department of Education, this profile presents selected demographic data on schools in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. A narrative section discusses the purpose of the report, definitions of rural and nonmetropolitan classifications, percentages of…

A study of randomly selected Nebraska schools found that small rural elementary schools tended to employ teachers with fewer years of experience than did larger rural or semirural schools. Of 29 rural schools with one or two teachers, there were 14 schools (48%) where average teacher experience was 0-3 years. (JHZ)

Inclusionary schools occur through purposeful leadership, and the principal is the key to lead others through the process of change. This pilot study surveyed 155 principals of small rural schools in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming to gather information about the ways in which principals administer special education programs in their…

Citizens in rural Nebraska filed a lawsuit challenging the reliance on local property taxes for school funding that has led to inequities between rural and urban schools. One answer may be to give smaller school districts more money through a state system of taxation and equalization aid to improve school standards. (LP)

Ten rural school improvement clusters involving 63 districts, 7 colleges and universities, and 6 state departments of education have been developed in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and North Dakota through the work of the Mid-Continent Regional Educational Laboratory's Rural Education Project. Four essential steps appear necessary for…

The Entry Year Assistance Program of Educational Service Unit #11 in Nebraska is a staff development project to train mentor teachers, entry-year teachers, and school administrators in small, rural school districts. Schools that participate in the program select a team consisting of a mentor teacher, an administrator, and an entry-year teacher.…

An overview of the status of rural school financing revealed three major reasons why rural schools are facing major problems in financing today: (1) school reforms have generally failed to address the specific needs of rural and small schools; (2) researchers have failed to recognize small school differences in their collection, classification and…

This collection of conference papers covers various aspects of rural education in changing times. The conference focused on changes and innovations in rural education and on reasons why rural educators can be optimistic. The proceedings report includes brief papers and workshop summaries on topics ranging from rural public relations to…

The document presents organizational details of the 18-month Country School Legacy Project (June 1980-December 1981) to begin an on-going inquiry into the history of rural education and current public policies which affect country schools and which will result in greater public use of library facilities and historical collections in public,…

A review of the country school in literature discusses Irving's "The Legend of Sleppy Hollow," Whittier's "Snowbound" and "In School Days," Eggleston's "The Hoosier School Master," and Stuart's "To Teach, To Love" and "The Thread That Runs So True." These literary works portray the…

Four case studies conducted by the Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory (McREL) Rural Education Project examined four clusters of rural schools and their efforts to improve schooling by collaborating and sharing resources. The Mid-Missouri Small School Consortium involved five rural school districts in efforts to incorporate…

This report, which focuses on improving education in rural Nebraska, grew out of a 2-week teachers' institute held in Walthill, Nebraska, in June 1993. "Introduction: The Vision of Community-Based Schools and the Future of Rural Places" (Toni Haas, Paul Nachtigal) examines current civic and social trends in rural communities and the role…