In my book "Learning to Leave: The Irony of Schooling in a Coastal Community" (Corbett, 2007) I make the claim that there is a deep and established connection between formal education and mobility out of rural areas. The book reports on a study undertaken in a coastal community in Atlantic Canada focusing on the educational and life…

Discusses the problems of providing a uniform educational system that would enable children of the rural Yukon to move into other Canadian school systems with minimal difficulty. States that northern communities increasingly desire more control over local education. Argues that schools must address both local and national issues to adequately…

While it is not the intent of the paper to portray the rural school jurisdictions as completely riven and incapacitated by conflicting interests, a very strong implication emerging from studies of these school systems is that "integrative" management policies and strategies are needed to counteract the fragmentation which has been…

Declining population in rural Saskatchewan has led to declining resources. The Minister of Education has proposed consolidating schools and creating school councils that, although involved in local decision making, will not govern directly. It is unclear whether boards of education will remain intact or be consolidated with other human services…

Although the single-grade classroom has emerged as the most prevalent administrative arrangement, the existence of the split grade phenomenon continues to be a part of educational tradition in both rural and urban schools, predominantly at the elementary levels. Teachers are then forced to compromise curriculum to teach all levels simultaneously.…

A description of a day in a 10-student community home school in British Columbia gives insights into the author/teacher's educational philosophy, his views on the role and function of public schools, the role of community and family in education, teacher-student relationships, and how knowledge and information are secondary to instilling an…

Reviews studies on rural schools and rural teaching in British Columbia. Notes most teaching vacancies will occur in rural areas. Cites lack of preparation programs for rural teachers, discusses the University of Victoria's programs, and suggests internships and teacher exchange programs as ways to sensitize students/teachers to rural life. (CN)

Ontario public school systems are responsible for ensuring that Ministry of Education documents, such as subject guidelines, are implemented in their schools. This paper describes an implementation plan developed and used in Simcoe County by a large rural school board with modest program support staff. Four distinct phases characterize this…

Attention to small schools in Manitoba reflects concern for rural development, recognition of cultural pluralism, awareness of benefits of small town living, and a growing scepticism about benefits of consolidation which have led to an appreciation of traditional small school educational practices. The challenge for small school educators is to…

This report of the Distance Education Secondary School Committee of Northern Ontario, which is composed of representatives of the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Independent Learning Centre, Native and French language components of the MOE, and Contact North, discusses the role that the Contact North distance education network can play in the…

The first official trustee of the Northland School Division details the history of the corporation from its founding in 1960. The anecdotal narrative describes achievements and failures, operating procedures, and difficulties of providing education in isolated areas. An editors' response following the paper points out the author's unique…

This paper provides a perspective on issues among small schools in Canada through an analysis of topics that focus on Ontario. During the early phase of the small school movement, many educators believed that "small" represented a deleterious condition. After researchers examined negative conditions among larger schools, however,…