To provide information on characteristics of rural and small schools in Region VII of the U.S. Department of Education, this profile presents selected demographic data on schools in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. A narrative section discusses the purpose of the report, definitions of rural and nonmetropolitan classifications, percentages of…

This book aims to acquaint researchers, primarily in local organizations, with data they can use to describe and better understand rural communities. Chapter 1 describes a few basic data concepts for readers who are not experienced data users. Chapter 2 provides an overview of major data sources that can be used to describe rural communities,…

Alternatives for occupational curricula at Northland Pioneer College are discussed in relation to Navaho County economic resources. Approximately 85 percent of the occupations in Navaho County do not require the baccalaureate degree and thus fall within the realm of community college educational responsibility. Because of the sparse population,…

Examines the relations among achievement motivation, locus of control, and the occupational and educational aspirations of 92 rural and 98 metropolitan 11th graders from South Dakota. Rural subjects had lower occupational and educational aspirations but did not differ from urban subjects in achievement motivation or locus of control. (Author/TES)

A study of rural community colleges in Minnesota and Michigan was conducted to determine to what extent the colleges were fulfilling their stated purposes, whether Minnesota's centralized state community college system is as responsive to community needs as Michigan's decentralized system, and the major criteria identified by community college…

Information about postsecondary education in Alaska is presented in this volume in support of the first statewide master plan for postsecondary education. Appendix A provides selected data on 19 postsecondary institutions in the state, including the 3 campuses of the University of Alaska, 10 community colleges, the Rural Education program, 3…

A plan is presented herein for development of a Rural Education Information System for the 10 states which comprise the Southeastern Regional Council for Educational Improvement. Since the Council considers its principal function to be support of educational policy analysis and formation in its member states, the information system design…

Since 1994, the National Science Foundation has funded Rural Systemic Initiatives (RSI), a set of systemic reforms to enhance math, science, and technology education in economically disadvantaged, rural areas through instructional and policy reform and community development activities. As part of an evaluation of the program, surveys were sent to…

Graphs, data tables, maps, and written descriptions give a statistical overview of rural Pennsylvania. A section on rural demographics covers population changes, racial and ethnic makeup, age cohorts, and families and income. Pennsylvania's rural population, the nation's largest, has increased more than its urban population since 1950, with the…

This report examines attrition data of Kansas special education personnel employed in the 1993-94 school year who did not return for the 1994-95 year. Fifteen tables display data on: (1) numbers employed, numbers of leavers, and percent of attrition from 1976 to 1994 in each special education category; (2) employment and attrition by level of…

Despite increasing graduation requirements and the limited vocational offerings in rural schools, many rural high school students still enroll in vocational education courses. This study examined factors influencing the decisions of rural Ohio high school students to select vocational education courses. In spring 1988, an interview and…

A 1985 mail survey of 97 rural schools and 53 coastal (urban/suburban) schools in Queensland, Australia, investigated teacher characteristics, problems, and needs. Respondents included 504 rural teachers, 215 rural parents, 405 coastal teachers, and 179 coastal parents. The results confirm many previous findings about teaching in rural Australia.…

This report details results of the 1998 Nebraska Rural Poll, which asked rural Nebraskans their opinions on taxes, school finance, and school consolidation. Survey responses were received from 4,196 residents of Nebraska's 87 non-metropolitan counties. When asked about the tax structure, most respondents favored changing the current distribution…

This study describes the importance of rural education in each of the 50 states, and suggests the urgency with which state policymakers should address the needs of rural schools and communities. The study compared states on two gauges of concern for their rural schools and communities. The rural importance gauge examines how important it is to the…

Nonmetro (rural) blacks continue to lag behind metro (urban and suburban) blacks and whites of all residence categories on rates of graduation from high school and college, functional literacy, preprimary and college enrollment, and adult education. Nonmetro blacks are also less likely to be in the labor force, hold white collar jobs, or have…