Describes a teacher inservice program promoting instructional improvement, more effective schools, improved school climate, and application of current theory in the Nipawin School Division in Saskatchewan (Canada). Results with 49 teachers between 1986 and 1990 suggest positive effects of this 21-day Host Classroom theory, observation, practice,…

Provides insight into system-level changes needed to support inclusive preschool activities. Recognizes successful outcomes of inclusive programs as highly dependent on attitudes of parents and teachers. Describes a six-step process in developing successful inclusive programs in a rural Iowa community. Stresses the need for everyone affected to…

Elk City, Idaho, instituted an arts program in its small K-10 school with grant and community funding. An arts facilitator organized a visiting-artists program and trained teachers to recognize different learning styles and integrate art, literature, and music into the curriculum. Self-esteem and test scores have risen, and the community is…

Draws on interviews with local citizens, Hispanic former migrants, and school staff to examine problems and successes associated with Hispanic integration into the community and schools of Mill City, Oregon. Emphasizes the efforts of educators, parents, businesses, and citizens to provide equitable education through cultural awareness,…

Describes the North Central Educational Service District (Washington) Priority Hispanic Certification program for training bilingual teachers. Begun in 1993, the program finds, trains, and certifies bilingual paraprofessionals and foreign-trained teachers to fill the need for bilingual teachers in central Washington schools. Teacher training…

The Appalachian Rural Systemic Initiative aims to improve math and science instruction in 48 schools in 6 Appalachian states. The three program components are "teacher partners" who act as resources to colleagues; access to educational resources, through a collaboration with five area universities and acquisition of telecommunications…

Describes a pilot curriculum at the Peddie School, an independent preparatory school in rural New Jersey, designed to achieve cost-effective school reform through technology. Elements include student use of laptop computers, cooperative learning, block scheduling, off-campus studies, and interdisciplinary units. The school's information network is…

States that successful collaborative efforts are based on four elements: (1) supportive college culture; (2) long-term, meaningful partnerships; (3) solid resource development strategies; and (4) well-cultivated, creative project ideas. Discusses Southwestern Community College in rural western North Carolina as an example of an effective…

Discusses the seriousness of the digital divide-the discrepancy between technology-literate and -illiterate people-in rural areas in the United States. Reports that rural young, minority, and single-parent households lag behind the national average in both personal computer ownership and Internet access. Offers suggestions for ways rural community…

Ensuring hardware access and providing high-quality content and teaching resources are main goals at a small rural high school in Indiana. Extensively integrated technology has been funded by a series of private grants, local fund raising, and a Technology Innovation Challenge Grant through the state department of education. (MLH)

The shared struggles facing urban and rural schools, such as changing cultural and linguistic classroom profiles, increased childhood poverty, and residential segregation patterns, influence financial inequities between people and communities thus contributing to gaps in academic achievement and teacher shortages in both settings. The…

This article describes a successful alternative school located in northwest Wyoming. Students who attend this school need an atmosphere that is accepting of their differences and allows them to express themselves without fear of ridicule or punishment. These children are looking for a safe, secure place to complete their education, a place where…

Electronic technology can be used to overcome many of the barriers and other factors that restrict delivery of services to rural schools; it can also expand the world of rural gifted students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Online college and high school Web sites that offer courses are listed, as well as a Web site for tutoring and one offering…

This paper describes efforts to improve education in a poor rural Mississippi school district that failed to meet minimum state educational standards. Part of the Mississippi Delta, the county school district is rural and agricultural, contains no large towns or cities, and is characterized by declining population and pervasive poverty. African…

Through a program called the Minority Male Afterschool Program (MMAP), college students at Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena (Mississippi) are working one-on-one with high school students. The MMAP is an enrichment program that encourages at-risk African American students aged 12 to 19 to complete high school and pursue…