Reviews nonmetropolitan regional demographic trends of the 1980s including population change, age distribution, migration by county type and age, effect of metropolitan proximity, changes in income and poverty, minority population, educational attainment, numbers of rural schools and school districts, and district enrollment. Suggests that…

This paper examines and questions popular ideas about education and its relationship to the economic well-being of individuals, communities, regions, and the nation. It suggests that the criteria used to develop economic and educational strategies have produced mixed results at best, especially in rural areas. Since family income is related to…

Rural schools have had a traditional role as major vehicles of rural economic development. During the rapid economic changes of the 20th century rural schools supplied the literate migrants who flocked to the cities to become the human capital for urban based expansion. Rural schools also provided the literate farmers who stayed at home and…