Parents, churches, and the community are important factors in the education of children. In the future, rural educational processes will become much more integrated into the total life of the community, with businesses, government, and social organizations serving as an extension of the classroom. (Author/CM)

Four sets of variables are likely to influence the nature of rural education by the year 2030. The first trend characterizes the mass production model of education and calls for increased specialization. This trend is likely to be replaced by a broader, more integrated one in which the interrelationships between content areas will be more evident…

The usual opposing perspectives on the school-size debate focus on economies of scale and school climate. This paper examines school size, educational cost, and quality from a third perspective, that of maintaining healthy viable communities. Rural schools and rural communities are tightly linked and highly interdependent. The school is one of the…

This paper describes the emerging debate on efficiency and program quality in rural schools, explores the strengths and weaknesses of rural district consolidation, and suggests policy options for redesigning rural education. An examination of economic trends, demographics, and philosophical changes regarding rural education's purpose puts…

Traditionally, rural schools have been tightly linked to their communities, and the process of schooling has reflected local values, mores, and ways of life. However, during the early 1900s, the beginning of the Progressive era, allegiance to local ways received heavy criticism. An inherent assumption, that bigger is better, was promoted as the…