Perceived educational strengths and weaknesses of Appalachian schools are examined as indicators of school effectiveness in this study, which is based on the formula that the expectations people have of schools minus the perceptions of how those expectations are met equals a dissonance factor. The School Effectiveness Inventory (SEI), which…

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.…

In a survey of 100 elementary school teachers in rural Tennessee, teachers felt that reducing distractions, positive reinforcement, and frequent monitoring were the most effective techniques for teaching students with attention deficit disorders (ADD). Teachers suggested that many students with ADD were not being identified and indicated needs for…

The collection of 31 articles about Appalachian history, culture, customs, and education by people from a variety of backgrounds is intended to facilitate understanding of the special needs of Appalachian students by teachers and school administrators. Designed to address the problems faced in 16 specific counties in Tennessee, Virginia, and North…

A 20-item questionnaire determined and compared attitudes of 996 public school teachers and administrators in 83 rural Tennessee counties concerning curriculum development, course content, school environment, individualized instruction, philosophical parameters, student evaluation, and extracurricular activities. Both teachers and administrators…

The grassroots Rural Communities Educational Cooperative (RCEC) made higher education accessible/affordable to adults in rural Appalachian communities, designed courses for competency-based rural education, and received high ratings from students and faculty. The Mountain Women's Exchange--a network of seven community organizations run by…

A comparison of Middle Tennessee Rural (MTR) schools with the national sample of schools included in Kappa Delta Pi's Good Schools Project (GSP) focused on the areas of curriculum perspectives, goal attainment, classroom practices, interpersonal relations, commitment, discipline and safety, support services and facilities, and decision making. The…

This paper compares responses of 660 teachers and 3,420 students from 36 schools (23 elementary, 4 middle, 9 secondary), located in 14 rural Tennessee counties, by school level on the Good Schools Survey instruments. Data represent teacher and student perceptions of classroom practices, support services/facilities, commitment, and goal attainment.…