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…

The Appalachian Math Science Partnership (AMSP) is a project within NSF's (National Science Foundation's) Math Science Partnerships (MSP) initiative. Funded at $23 million over five years, the AMSP involved 51 school districts and nine higher education institutions in Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. The AMSP faced two significant challenges in…

This annotated bibliography covers 170 selected journal articles, books, federal and state government publications, and Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) documents containing information about the mission, function, and organization of regional educational laboratories or relating to socioeconomic and educational situations in the…

The rural economy has performed badly during the 1980s. While the recession of the early 1980s was responsible for much of the trouble, the slow rural recovery demonstrates the fundamental hurdles facing the rural economy. Central among these are economic disadvantages, including remote locations isolating rural producers from their markets, low…

Examination of demographic, socioeconomic, and cultural factors in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, the four states served by the Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL), shows low student population density, endemic poverty, low educational attainment, and a population reluctant to seek outside help. This report reviews the…

Although there are many sources of information about "effective schools" programs, those that specifically address the needs of rural areas are often overlooked. This document offers a collection of program descriptions to help educators determine programs and practices that appear to be effective in rural and small schools. Program…

The school/community improvement process adapted by the Rural, Small Schools Program at the Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL) serves to revitalize and improve rural schools, incorporating commitment of both school and community leaders to rural school improvement. This paper describes implementation of the process in four school districts,…

The study measured the value orientations of school administrators, secondary teachers, teachers in traditional elementary schools, and teachers in innovative elementary schools in Southern Appalachia, along a continuum from Traditional to Emergent, using Differential Values Inventory (DVI) as the source of differentiation. The total…

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…

The results of five studies dealing with the social and educational characteristics of Appalachian families of young children are presented as a planning base for home-oriented education. Four of the studies assessed: (1) the educational and occupational attributes of parents, (2) the availability and usage patterns of television and radio by…

Examined were the educational conditions and efficiency of the school systems during the 1929-30 school year in both the mountainous and nonmountainous counties of Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Information was obtained for five counties in each State which were regarded as the most mountainous and five…