Teachers in rural West Virginia who had completed a Foxfire training course reported that they involved students to a greater extent in the design and participation of learning activities, especially in the use of discussions, peer teaching, and planning units of instruction. Teachers also reported incorporation of the community in the learning…

A cooperative of small, rural Alabama schools is teaching aquaculture in vocational agriculture classes to make science more relevant. Program goals include enhancing student skills through daily work in living laboratories; training teachers who understand life sciences' connection to everyday rural life and are skilled in using living…

Students earning a Master's Degree in Special Education in 1985 at West Virginia University were surveyed concerning their job satisfaction and their teacher training programs. The majority of the 54 respondents found special education to be a personally satisfying career and believed that their individual efforts made a difference. However, many…

Details the history of Big Laurel, West Virginia from 1918-1941, 1941-1965, and 1965-1983, noting the effects on education of events in all three periods. Describes the opening, closing, consolidation, and reopening of community schools, and the construction, development, philosophy, and curriculum of the new Big Laurel School. (SB)

Every school day, hundreds of West Virginia children ride school buses much longer than state guidelines say they should. Under those guidelines, no elementary student should be on the bus more than 30 minutes one way, middle school students 45 minutes, and high school students 1 hour. In fall 1999, public hearings about school transportation…

Surveys of 158 West Virginia Governor's Honors Academy (GHA) students and 644 seniors in rural West Virginia high schools suggest that, compared to the latter, GHA students are less alienated; are not more eager to leave their community; exhibit stronger modern dispositions, but not weaker rustic dispositions; and are equally satisfied with their…

The problems of rural students at risk of school failure and incompletion are in many ways similar to problems of urban low-income children and young people. These problems include poverty, unemployed parents, substance abuse, low self-esteem, child abuse, and sexual activity. However, children in many chronically depressed and isolated rural…

This thesis examines the ways in which rural schools support or undermine rural community viability in the United States. Beginning in the late 19th century, the diverse people of the United States came under the power of a single ideology of modernization and the superiority of urban culture. This ideology has resulted in the American transition…

Describes an inservice teacher course incorporating 34 competencies identified as important for behavior disorder teachers in rural West Virginia, and featuring 15 seminars tailored to participants' needs, videotaped practicum experience, and use of portable computers to record and analyze student behaviors. Contains 28 references. (SV)

Describes Woodlands Mountain Institute's leadership program, which helps exceptional West Virginia high school students get into good colleges and serve home communities after finishing college. Describes cases of low-income students assisted by program in college selection and financial aid. Describes colleges' cooperation, peer-counseling…

During the 1988-89 school year, 55 Writing to Read (WTR) labs were installed in Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia elementary schools, as the result of a partnership between the Appalachian Regional Commission and the IBM Corporation. This report evaluates the WTR program implemented in 13 southern West Virginia rural schools with poor,…

West Virginia is recognized as the second most sparsely populated state in the nation. Legislation that intended to upgrade the quality of education in the state was passed in 1988. Some educational leaders argued that statewide reform must consider the uniqueness of sparse, rural school districts in the state, taking into account issues such as…

Project GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) is a federally funded program focused on encouraging disadvantaged youth to have high expectations, stay in school, and take academically rigorous courses to prepare them for college. A GEAR UP grant in rural north-central West Virginia funds academic and support…

As increasing numbers of students with disabilities are placed in regular classrooms, the shortage of rural special educators means that many rural classroom teachers are the primary providers of individualized programming to meet special needs. Since 1994, West Virginia University has been expanding its existing teacher education programs to…

REAL Enterprises, Inc. (Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning) is an academic program that helps students learn the basics of starting and nurturing a new business. West Virginia is 1 of 17 states offering the program with the goal of preparing youth to take advantage of economic opportunities in their own communities. (LP)