Interest in the rural context of education is growing, and connections between education and the wider rural community are increasingly acknowledged to be important. Hundreds of organizations were contacted to update this directory, which provides recent information on programs, organizations, and resources useful to practitioners, policymakers,…

This digest describes datasets of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) that are related to rural education, discusses potential uses of NCES data, and offers practical tips for accessing these data. NCES has primarily two types of data; population data on the school universe and national surveys. Two population databases are the…

This handbook presents a snapshot view of the use of telecommunications technologies to deliver instruction to distant audiences of K-12 students in the United States. The information is intended specifically for people who work in and with small, rural, or remote schools. Available technologies and programming vary widely in offerings and…

This digest examines the best evidence available on mathematics achievement in rural schools and offers recommendations for further research. Findings on the mathematics achievement of secondary students are presented, based on analyses of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in 1996 and 2000, the Longitudinal Study of American…

Because rural communities have different needs and resources from those found in urban settings, nontraditional education programs provide alternatives to those features of modern mass education that respond primarily to urban needs. This digest looks at a few nontraditional programs and strategies, the problems to which they respond, and the…

There appears to have been no coherent movement of rural adult education in the United States since the area was first surveyed in the 1930s. Such problems exist as fragmentation, a lack of communication across efforts, and a lack of continuity in time. There does not even appear to be adequate information on the nature and scope of the enterprise…

In fall 1997, Congress approved funding to implement Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) programs, primarily in Title I schools in high-poverty areas. This digest explains CSRD and what it might mean to rural schools. Since 1965, Title I has provided resources to at-risk children in lower-income schools. Changes in 1988 and 1994…

Parent involvement programs for rural communities work best when they respond to particular features of the communities they serve. Research provides conflicting findings about whether rural parents are more or less involved in their children's education than are urban or suburban parents. Even if parent involvement is more prevalent in rural…

This digest summarizes impacts of the Brown decision on school segregation and the educational condition of rural African American students today. In the 1990s, over 90 percent of rural African Americans live in the South and continue to suffer from high poverty rates and low educational attainment. In 1954, the Supreme Court decision in Brown et…

This ERIC digest summarizes recent studies on poverty in rural areas. In 1986, the poverty rate in rural areas was 50 percent higher than the urban rate. During the 1980s, rural poverty stayed higher, rising more rapidly during recession, and falling more slowly in the "recovery" period. Characteristics that distinguish the rural poor…

The cost of providing an educational program is higher for rural, small schools and districts than for others. Nevertheless, recent studies suggest that small schools and districts may be a more efficient investment than large schools because the "learning value per unit of expenditure" seems to be greater there. This new idea expands…

The role of state departments of education in rural education involves responsibilities, leadership, funding, regional assistance, and preparing for the future. It is the responsibility of the state department to act as a regulatory, governing, and operating agency and to distribute federal funds to areas of need. The state department can provide…

This digest examines the practical significance for rural communities of the emerging national information infrastructure, highlights some potential pitfalls, and draws connections to rural education. During the 1980s, computers and computer networks became increasingly commonplace, and in the early 1990s, the Internet and World Wide Web emerged…

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

This directory contains brief descriptions and contact information for organizations, agencies, and publications related to rural education. Mindful of the wide variety of issues impacting rural schools and related information needs, the directory includes national associations, research and training centers, health organizations, publishers,…