The series of papers grew out of a Rural Economic Development Planning workshop conducted on the Oklahoma State University campus, July 1971, for personnel in agencies actively engaged in applying and disseminating rural development research. The first four papers supplied basic information to workshop participants: Rural development was defined…

The paper shows costs of elementary and secondary schools applicable to Oklahoma rural areas, including the long-run average cost curve which indicates the minimum per student cost for educating various numbers of students and the application of the cost curves determining the optimum school district size. In a stratified sample, the school…

The report showed ways of providing rural youths with quality schooling while keeping costs down. An Oklahoma survey of student needs measured quality differences between rural and urban areas. Students from farms, ranches, and small towns consistently ranked below students in middle and large cities on achievement tests in each grade level…