After surveying selected characteristics of the 840 one-teacher schools in the United States, the author found an average enrollment of 11 students. Teachers in these schools devoted more than 90 percent of their time to providing individualized instruction. (MT)

Four hundred and two teachers of one-teacher schools responded to a questionnaire. Findings regarding teacher/student ratio, student enrollment, teacher background and education, reasons for teaching, and teacher housing and responsibilities are summarized. (MT)

A 15-year study found that Amish schools have increased, numbering 1,139 in 2000. Where public school funding is on a per-pupil basis, these schools may have a negative effect on rural school district financing. However, an Amish community may increase local farm-related trade and tourism, thereby increasing taxable property and public school…

Describes results of a 1981 survey of 162 small rural schools in Montana. Notes that teachers cited educational finance as the main rural education problem and that Montana's rural teachers receive few incentives. Reports results pertaining to preparing teachers for rural settings, curriculum development, school-community relationships, and…

A 15-year study of Amish schools in the United States and Canada found that the number of Amish schools has grown dramatically from 1940 through the present. The Amish provide formal schooling only up to the eighth grade, after which adolescents are engaged in mastering a trade before entering into adulthood. The Amish once supported public…

Explores departmental-policy implementation challenges faced by Australian principals of one-teacher schools during a time of unprecedented structural and organizational change, highlighting international contextual influences on the nation's public sector. Over a five-year period, senior management's relationship to principals implementing policy…

In Montana, there are 151 small rural schools that constitute elementary independent districts with either a supervising teacher or a teaching principal as the head of the school. In fall 1998, a survey of all 151 schools examined enrollments, budgets, staff, salaries, and benefits. Enrollments ranged from 2 to 174 students; 83 schools had fewer…

A 1960 study found that one-teacher schools numbered 24,000; were outmoded, poorly financed, and of inferior construction; and had inadequately prepared teachers. In the early 1980s, a study of these schools found that their facilities were updated, most teachers were college trained and state certified, and the students performed well at school…

The use of "recitation" lessons in a rural Nebraska one-room school was investigated. Conservative in its orientation toward knowledge and student learning, the recitation is a functional response to the context of smallness, implicit parental and community expectations, inevitable student transfer to a large graded school, and threats…

Questionnaires returned by 402 of a total of 672 teachers in one-teacher schools surveyed in spring 1984 provided data on these teachers and the students, schools, and communities they served. Findings indicated an estimated 800 one-teacher schools operating in 28 states, with the largest number 385, in Nebraska. Average enrollment was 11…

During the 1979-1980 school year, 23 Old Order Amish pupils in the Pleasant Hill School near Bloomfield, Iowa, took the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. On the language arts subtest, five of six third grade students ranked above 50% in capitalization, four ranked above 50% in spelling and punctuation, and three ranked above 50% in usage. Four third…

During the 1996-97 school year, 63 one-teacher primary schools were identified in Great Britain and 54 of these were surveyed. Three of the schools surveyed were in England, 47 in Scotland, and 4 in Wales. The majority of teachers in these schools were female, married, and 40-49 years old; had over 20 years teaching experience, with 5-15 years in…

Over one-half of the Finnish elementary school system has always been comprised of one to two teacher schools, and this bulletin contains two papers dealing with those small school systems. "The Finnish School System and Small Schools" by Pekka Silventoinen describes the conditions that created Finland's predominantly small school…

A study examined factors inherent in Montana's smallest schools that attract and retain teachers. Surveys of 126 elementary teachers in 107 small school districts found that a rural background and proximity to family or home were influential in accepting employment. The classroom experience, particularly their relationship with students, and…

Written for educators, legislators, and the general public, this monograph is a resource for better understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the one-teacher school. The material is designed to inspire more confidence in the quality of education possible in rural America and to reinforce recognition that most schools--regardless of size--can…