The Federation of Rocky Mountain States and the Satellite Technology Demonstration project (STD) have collaborated in an effort to provide low cost information delivery to rural areas of the Rockies. Though the goals and the financial support of this joint effort were initially confused, sites have now been selected, the communications technology…

The goal of the Satellite Technology Demonstration project (STD) was to show the feasibility of a satellite-based media system for isolated, rural populations and to test and evaluate user acceptance and the cost of various delivery modes using a variety of materials. The STD amalgamated the resources of government, health, education, and…

The Rural Family Development (RFD) Project endeavored to instruct disadvantaged adults in basic skills through a home-based, multi-media system. The report, the last of three, is divided into three sections. The first (18 pages) contains five essays defining the basic positions taken by the RFD staff and discussion of the influences these…

A survey of students earning special education degrees in 1985 addressed job satisfaction, teacher-training program evaluation, and job stress factors. Of the 54 respondents, 88 percent found special education to be a personally satisfying career, but 48 percent said they would select another profession if given the opportunity to begin again.…

A questionnaire was distributed to 456 post-secondary institutions offering preservice teacher preparation programs in 27 rural states. Of the 208 institutions responding, 21 offered specialized programs for teachers planning to work in rural areas. Of the suggested 26 preservice curriculum components, 14 were offered in over half the institutions…

Interviews and survey questionnaires were used to collect--from 302 randomly selected farm households in the Kahvre Palanchowk District in eastern Nepal--information regarding how families make decisions about schooling for children. The findings suggest that sociocultural and economic factors cause parents to discriminate among children according…

Recent reports by Australian government agencies and Indigenous organizations have highlighted the failure of education systems to meet the learning needs of Indigenous students. In response to these reports and to the concerns of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents, the Queensland Indigenous Education Consultative Body commissioned a…

A study examined rural students' academic aspirations and expectations, their perceptions of their parents' aspirations and expectations, and their parents' actual aspirations and expectations. Surveys were completed by 3,733 seventh grade-students in 54 schools in 17 West Virginia counties. Parent response rates were lower, with approximately two…

Vocational education and training (VET) has been given greater emphasis in Australian schools with the inclusion of seven Framework courses that contribute to students' Higher School Certificate and also count in students' University Admissions Index scores. A study examined the perceptions of people involved in VET programs for year 11.…

Leadership to reverse rigid tracking practices can make a difference for student success. Through transformational leadership, administrators, teachers, and counselors can serve as catalysts for change from restrictive to inclusive advanced high school classes. Steps are underway by some states and districts to change past grouping practices that…

Looking at rural Australia, this paper addresses the issue of providing adequate resources to create high quality and diversified higher education environments and the need for more data on the quality of rural student life. A review of the literature shows the underrepresentation of rural students in higher education; rural barriers to…

Wesley College, a private urban secondary school, operates a campus in the small, rural town of Clunes, Victoria (Australia), where ninth-grade students can spend a term in a community-based, experientially-derived curriculum to enhance their sense of self and community. Students are accommodated in houses of eight as single-sex groups and are…

This second evaluation progress report concerns a 5-year project that links technology and the visual and performing arts with other subject areas to transform the education of K-12 students in Nebraska and nationwide. The report states that the project's focus is to develop curriculum models of engaged student learning using technology and…

This fourth evaluation progress report concerns the "Community Discovered" project, currently completing its third year of operation, a 5-year project that links technology and the visual and performing arts with other subject areas to transform the education of K-12 students in Nebraska and nationwide. The report states that the project…

Case study of a small elementary school in rural New South Wales (Australia) found that the community's history, the size of the school, and the relationship between school staff, students, and stakeholders contributed to development of a learning community. Suggests that becoming a learning community involves an ongoing, developmental, and…