Current research on school effectiveness concludes that differences among schools affect students' academic achievement. An important characteristic of effective schools is providing a safe and secure environment. An example of programs that address this issue are peer mediation or conflict resolution programs. These programs require the combined…

These five articles offer ideas on rural education, school consolidation, and community-based educational improvement initiatives. The first article, by Boyd Kidwell, gives a status report of rural schools, which are saddled by declining enrollments, fewer dollars, and demands for higher standards. Examples in Georgia, Texas, and Missouri are used…

This issue of the Courier contains articles loosely connected to each other by the underlying theme of developing people's capacity to improve the quality of their lives. The following articles are included: "Development of Human Resources--A Basic Needs Approach," by Mohiuddin Ahmad; "Rural Poverty," by the United Nations Food…

Contributions of rural high schools to their local economic climate are both underestimated and undervalued. Functions that high schools can and should perform in rural economic development today include providing occupational training to meet immediate labor market needs, raising community educational attainment levels to meet long-term…

Designed to contribute to the study of specific problems and the identification of educational needs in rural development, this annotated bibliography contains 345 entries limited to the period between 1975 and 1979. Subheadings are: General; Development planning; Adult education; Educational programmes and content; Methods: communication,…

This serial issue contains eight articles all on the theme of "Becoming Teacher Researchers.""Becoming a Network of Teacher Researchers" (Scott Christian) discusses how portfolios of classroom work provide documentation and encourage more systematic teacher research involving established research techniques. "Identifying…

Rural schools typically face multiple challenges related to providing educational opportunities for students and staff. A comparison of curricular offerings in English, foreign languages, and mathematics in a Chicago suburban high school, a rural high school district, and a small rural unit district reveals the curricular disadvantages of small…

This journal contains the following articles pertaining to education in rural areas: (1) "The State of the Association" (William Peter) reviews the mission and progress of the Southern Rural Education Association; (2) "Arts Enrichment Programs in Middle Tennessee Rural Schools" (Howard Brahmstedt and Patricia Brahmstedt)…

This 1945 National Education Association yearbook focuses attention on the post-World War II problems of rural schools and encourages national, state, and local leaders to lay plans for strengthening rural education programs. The articles examine social and economic problems faced by rural Americans, the implications of these problems for rural…

In 1995 the National Science Foundation funded the Alaska Rural System Initiative (RSI), a joint effort of the Alaska Federation of Natives and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Among its goals, the RSI aims to increase the presence of Alaska Native knowledge and perspectives in all areas of science and education in rural Alaska, develop…

This newsletter theme issue presents highlights from the "Seventeenth Annual Report to Congress" on the implementation, impact, and effectiveness of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It presents 19 tables and 1 figure reproduced from the annual report. The issue covers: (1) funding for IDEA Part B and Chapter 1 of…

Strong local communities are the best habitat for excellence in education, and education is the responsibility of the whole community. Setting high academic standards and achieving against those standards is an important educational objective, but the quest for higher standards can be exploited to serve other purposes. This statement sets out the…

This publication contains 10 articles on nonformal adult education in the Pacific Region. The first describes the Mobile Training Team in Micronesia and its strengths and weaknesses. The second article introduces the Micronesian Seminar and an examination of its methods of combating social problems through seminars and workshops. The next two…

Issues related to the use of distance education are discussed in this bulletin, which also summarizes the status of distance education in 26 countries of Asia and the Pacific. Section 1 contains a rationale for distance education and points out possibilities offered by advances in communication technologies. Section 2 gives country-by-country…

The document presents eight papers dealing with educational administration in developing nations. It is intended to aid UNESCO staff members and other educational advisors as they collaborate with policy makers in developing nations to improve educational programs. Written by staff members of UNESCO's Division of Educational Finance, the papers…