In this descriptive and comparative study, we present results highlighting the complexity and scope of the challenges facing rural districts as they navigate the changing demographics of the students and families they serve. Rapid increases in the number and concentration of racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse students in rural areas…

In every state in the South, the percentage of residents with bachelor's degrees or higher who were born outside the state exceed the percentage born in-state, reflecting their dependence on imported talent over building their own talent-development systems. In Virginia, the Southern state with the highest percentage of residents with a B.A. or…

Many reports on rural education give little attention to digital learning. At most, they tend to note either infrastructure needs or the potential of remote course access, with little focus on instruction, outcomes, or exemplars. This report intends to begin correcting that imbalance by connecting the dots between rural regions, rural education,…

Recently the state legislatures in Texas and Arkansas have passed initiatives to maximize transfer effectiveness from two- to four-year institutions. These initiatives, and others being undertaken on a national level, were stimulated by the rising cost of higher education, a decline in transfer rates and low achievement among students who do…

This report explores the situation of at-risk students in small and rural schools in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, and compares this information to the at-risk student situation nationwide. In order to explore both the complexity and the degree of risk of dropping out in rural school settings, research questions were posed…

This study examines variables that affect staff development in rural schools. It examines systematically delivered rural staff development intervention in 28 rural schools in five states representative of the Southwest--Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas. The study, involving 700 teachers, tests 18 hypotheses based largely on…

The five states of the Southwest--Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas--represent great diversity in economies, politics, educational settings, and resources. Despite this diversity, research indicates that rural small schools are concerned about the same issues as education as a whole. The purpose of this report is to present the…

This directory describes programs for serving at-risk students in rural small schools in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Section 1 lists 72 programs by state, including 8 programs that were added to the directory in 1995. Each entry includes target population; a brief description of program features; the school/community…

The present study reveals both positive and negative relationships between a multiplicity of factors and availability of education. The probable effects of many of these factors in various relationships is also discussed. The study was suggested by two other studies on availability of education published in 1930. One was reported in the Thirtieth…