Charter schools have emerged in the 1990s as a prominent and controversial school reform idea. This digest discusses characteristics of charter schools, tentative research findings, advantages and disadvantages, and implications for rural communities. Since 1991, 33 states and the District of Columbia have passed charter school legislation. An…

This special issue of the journal Exceptional Children has the theme "Rural Special Education." Nine articles deal with this theme as follows: (1) "The State of the Art of Rural Special Education" (by D. Helge), looks at recent improvements, remaining challenges, and current functioning; policy recommendations are offered for national and state…

This digest reviews the concepts of "culture" and "multicultural education" and advocates multicultural education for rural schools. Culture applies to any group with coherent norms and traditions that help members engage the world around them. Multicultural education seeks to create an environment in which students can…

Drawing information from federal statistical sources, this digest summarizes recent changes in rural demographic and economic conditions relevant to rural school systems. Since the early 1990s, the U.S. economy has been strong, and rural areas have been growing at the same rate or faster than the nation's economic pace. Benefiting from the steady…

Resilience is a quality that characterizes children who, though exposed to significant stress and adversity in their lives, do not succumb to the school and life failures predicted for them. Recent research suggests ways that schools and communities can protect children from the threats that confront individuals and families. This digest…

This directory lists over 250 organizations and resources related to rural education. Entries are categorized by the following sections: (1) national organizations (associations, networks, centers, and clearinghouses); (2) regional educational laboratories; (3) regional offices of the National Diffusion Network (a federally-funded dissemination…

The traditional relationships between rural and urban areas and the changes brought on by specialized rural industries discussed. The digest reviews work that has investigated the impact of farming, manufacturing, and mining on education. The effect of agricultural activity on academic achievement, especially via vocational agriculture programs,…

A growing movement to ground school curriculum in locally relevant material--often called place-based education--is capturing the attention of many rural educators. Some see this approach as a way to address the decline of rural communities, including the outmigration of youth, by preparing students to live productive and fully engaged lives in…

Place-based education, which draws from local culture, history, and geography to create a meaningful curriculum, holds particular promise for rural homeschooling. Following a brief review of the homeschooling phenomenon, this digest identifies ways that rural place-based education can counter common concerns about homeschooling. In 1999 about 1.7…

Highlights materials relating to the U.S. frontier during the 19th century by citing journal articles and documents related to this topic. Indicates the means for obtaining these works which deal with rural schooling, historical demography, Native Americans, music, revivalism, and Black cowboys. (KO)

This ERIC digest discusses the theoretical basis of case teaching and examines its strengths and limitations as a tool for teacher education. Case teaching presents authentic, concrete teaching problems for students to analyze. The study of a classroom fight, for example, might draw discussion of racial, ethical, political, and other community…

This guide contains hands-on science activities to connect middle-school students to the traditional knowledge of their grandparents and elders. Because girls often lose interest in science at the middle-school level, and because women in some communities (especially in rural areas) are seldom involved in work with an obvious science basis, the…

Explores ways that rural community colleges can develop collaborations and relationships that foster educational access and economic development. Discusses the Rural Community College Initiative, a program that assists colleges in the United States' most distressed rural areas in designing locally effective educational practices. (EMH)

This collection of essays attempts to describe the status and role of the rural community college in higher education, highlighting the special challenges faced by these institutions. The following articles are included: (1) "Opening the Shutter," by James R. Valadez and Jim Killacky; (2) "The Comprehensive Mission of the Rural Community College,"…

The question that ought to be at the heart of the school reform debate is: Why do we have schools? An answer to this question will drive the sorts of "improvements" that schools attempt. This book proposes that schools exist to help young persons create meaning and discover their own being through development of the mind. The mind is the…