Whereas much literature illustrates inequities inherent in rural gifted education programs, scant literature exists on how these inequities are managed or reflected in the everyday enaction of the rural gifted education classroom. Through an exploratory case study of three rural Appalachian gifted programs, this study provides a glimpse into…

In 1988 West Virginia University established a task force to evaluate possible strategies for a statewide dropout prevention program. An emerging focus of the task force is the creation of similar task forces at the local level that would make dropout prevention a community responsibility and build community partnerships to provide a comprehensive…

This paper describes the use of webcasting technology in a personnel preparation program for rural special education practitioners. Emerging technologies offer promising solutions to the challenges of providing accessible and appropriate training to rural special educators. Web-based instruction is especially appropriate for on-the-job training of…

The rural economy has performed badly during the 1980s. While the recession of the early 1980s was responsible for much of the trouble, the slow rural recovery demonstrates the fundamental hurdles facing the rural economy. Central among these are economic disadvantages, including remote locations isolating rural producers from their markets, low…

Teachers, psychologists, medical personnel, and parents need to work together with a common base of knowledge to provide appropriate services to children with attention deficit disorder (ADD). The history of ADD symptoms begins in the late 19th century but the term ADD was not coined until 1980. Since that time, definitions and terms have…

This study compared the behaviors of mainstreamed disabled students to those of their normative peers in the same classroom. Observational sessions were conducted in 48 classrooms in 3 rural West Virginia school districts. Data were collected on 71 disabled students in grades 3-7 over a 4-week period, including students with mild mental…

This paper describes education reform as an integrated effort to modify not only the structure and elements of the education system but also the culture or belief structure of that system. Central to any discussion of school reform are the elements of restructuring, empowerment, and change. Current reform efforts in restructuring revolve around a…

The Even Start Family Literacy Program is a national program that addresses the literacy and educational needs of adults in eligible families, teaches effective parenting skills, and addresses the preschool readiness needs of young children in the family. The Monongalia County (West Virginia) Even Start Program was unusual in that it took place in…

The school/community improvement process adapted by the Rural, Small Schools Program at the Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL) serves to revitalize and improve rural schools, incorporating commitment of both school and community leaders to rural school improvement. This paper describes implementation of the process in four school districts,…

In 1999, Fairmont State College (West Virginia) received a Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) grant for a 5-year program designed to encourage college aspirations and preparation among disadvantaged rural youth. During the first 2 years, parents and students in nine counties were surveyed to determine their…

Distance education is a way to provide needed instructional resources to rural schools, and the Internet and other telecommunications networks are the newest addition to the distance education toolkit. However, little is known about rural teachers' technological skills and attitudes in this area. A mail survey of 262 K-12 teachers in West…

A survey examined perceptions among superintendents, principals, and special education administrators concerning the role of the special education administrator in West Virginia school systems. All 55 county school superintendents, all 55 district-level special education administrators, and 150 public school principals were sent a survey…

Student behavior problems have been found to be the most significant and frequently addressed concern of rural educators. A model was developed in response to the needs of rural educators in West Virginia for planning, documenting, implementing, and monitoring behavior plans for students with emotional and behavior problems. The first step…

This report addresses the need to assess teacher attitudes toward teaching culturally diverse youth in West Virginia. West Virginia ranks as the second most rural state in the nation, with a 64 percent rural population. Nevertheless, West Virginia's culture is becoming increasingly pluralistic, and many students are finding that they cannot…

This study was conducted as part of a project to increase the number of certified teachers who serve students with behavior disorders in the rural regions of West Virginia, improve the quality of training to participants at both the elementary and secondary levels, and retain certified teachers who teach students with behavior disorders. Improving…