Suggests how administrators of small rural schools can help beginning/inexperienced teachers prepare for the beginning of the school year. Recommends resources offering suggestions for new teachers in the areas of getting acquainted, classroom environment, procedures and routines, and preparation and planning. (NEC)

Defines rurbanization (change process wherein small communities/rural areas build upon their social/cultural heritages in coping with impacts of rapid growth) and rurban practice. Itemizes skills needed for rurban human service work. Offers simulations to enhance rurban practice skills, incorporating sequential use of experiential learning tools…

The study compared the perceptions of selected faculty members in higher education with those of public school administrators as to the desired performance of homemaking teachers in rural and urban areas. The effort included the construction, the administration, the analysis, and the interpretation of an inventory of statements concerning teacher…

The paper outlines how the principles of the "Thinking Actively in a Social Context" (TASC) model have been adopted to provide an extension program through Telematics, which delivers lessons to remote sites using teleconferencing equipment, fax machines, and computers linked by modems. Describes use of the TASC model for remote…

This paper offers suggestions for providing accelerative opportunities for rural gifted students. Guidance is provided on overcoming local barriers and the chronic lack of sufficient resources in rural areas. Strategies incorporating telecommunications, cooperation with other districts and universities, faculty inservices, and community mentoring…

This paper provides basic information on searching the Internet and describes sites of interest in the area of rural special education. The first section traces the evolution of the Internet through various phases--ARPANET, NSFNET, CERNET, and the beginnings of the World Wide Web--and describes various protocols (methods and tools) developed to…

This booklet presents an overview of various techniques for remote education presently being used in Australian schools. It is intended as a teacher's resource, introducing the topic and promoting the development of contacts and establishment of communication links. Following a brief history of remote learning in Australia, the distance education…

This guide describes intergenerational programs and provides ideas for initiating and implementing informal and formal interaction between youth and senior adults. Intergenerational programs can help dispel negative stereotypes that youth and older adults may have about each other. Successful programs provide rewarding experiences for both…

Systemic reform, by definition, requires a concerted effort on the part of many toward change. In an effort to continue to promote systemic reform in science and mathematics education, a 3-day conference provided the forum necessary for many to share their insights and concerns on the issues. A brief discussion of four components of the conference…

Substance abuse is pervasive in both rural and urban settings. Previous attempts to educate America's youth as to its dangers have not reduced the numbers of adolescents involved in the drug culture. The assertiveness-based "Just Say No" campaign attempts to counter peer pressure to use drugs, but is hampered by our society's…

An approach to occupational therapy (OT) in a rural school is described which utilizes a combination of direct service, monitoring, and consultation. A collaborative style of OT consulting is used, which calls for the therapist to join the child study team when motor-related problems are identified. The approach provides continuous and…

Describes components of "Seventh Five-Year Plan" for China that identify the importance of educational development. In 1985 the Ministry of Education was replaced by the National Education Commission, emphasizing the new prominence of education. The centralized structure of the education system is being dismantled, and concerns over the…

Distance education is becoming a major delivery mechanism for teacher education programs in special education, especially for rural areas. Whatever the delivery system, telecourses depend on the mutual efforts of an instructor and a producer to satisfy the demands of both academic content and production values. Both instructor and producer have…

After the Montana Board of Public Education enacted new accreditation standards in 1989, the original Montana rural school curriculum guide no longer reflected state standards. A new rural curriculum guide was developed by drawing on pertinent sections of the Montana School Accreditation Standards and Procedures Manual, and by including model…

A multi-stage process was used to develop a model of parent involvement that could be effectively implemented in rural schools. The stages were: (1) an extensive review of the literature on existing models of parent involvement; (2) identification of a "typical" rural Montana school district--Conrad; (3) training Conrad teachers and parents in one…