The purpose of this study was to identify the issues that most affect Minnesota's rural public school administrators as they attempt to fulfill the mandates required from state legislation and communities. A second purpose was to identify exemplary practices valued by individual Minnesota rural schools and districts. Electronic surveys were sent…

Poor black young people in rural Mississippi contemplate their schooling with the same feelings as their friends who dare to jump the local ditches filled with alligators: the odds are against escaping the alligators, and the advantages of getting to the far side are not very apparent. Living in conditions of extreme poverty, these young people…

Perceived educational strengths and weaknesses of Appalachian schools are examined as indicators of school effectiveness in this study, which is based on the formula that the expectations people have of schools minus the perceptions of how those expectations are met equals a dissonance factor. The School Effectiveness Inventory (SEI), which…

Although rural schools often are the center of community life, ownership of rural education is not necessarily vested in all elements of the community. Without diligent planning, many members of the rural community do not become stockholders in the community's largest enterprise, public education. The program approach to public education has…

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…

Educators in Missouri must take offensive action promoting public education to counteract the negative press received nationwide in recent years. Communities should organize committees to address the needs of its students and address these needs with specific goals. Regional and state goals should also be made, keeping local goals in mind. St.…

School finance is basic to understanding and improving the condition of rural education. Information necessary for financial planning and policy development at the state and local levels is stored in large computer readable data bases and needs to be accessed. Pertinent data elements need to be extracted from the data base and relationships among…

This paper examines the historical supply and demand trends of secondary public school administrators serving students in urban, rural, and mixed school attendance areas in South Carolina from 1978 to 1987. This report projects supply and demand trends for secondary school administrators for the next 15 years from 1988 to 2002. The study is…

This paper examines the historical supply and demand trends of elementary public school administrators serving students in urban, rural, and mixed school attendance areas in South Carolina from 1977 to 1987. This report projects supply and demand trends for elementary school administrators for the next 15 years from 1988 to 2002. The study is…

This paper reports on a study that examined teacher recruitment and retention practices in the Northern Mariana Islands public school system. The study was conducted due to shortages of special education teachers and related services personnel. Based on a review of school district documents on recruitment and retention practices and interviews…

Research indicates that female teachers who attempt to enter and advance in administrative positions encounter obstacles ranging from sex-role stereotyping to direct prejudice and discrimination. While these obstacles have been researched for a number of years, there has been little focus on the barriers experienced by women in rural districts.…

Nebraska public schools have experienced a substantial growth in the numbers of children being served by special education programs, particularly in the past 10 years. This increase in services has greatly impacted state budget allotments for special education. For example in 1994, $115 million was appropriated to Nebraska school districts for…

This paper focuses on new developments in medicine and in the courts that may have crucial implications for existing policies related to the educational placement of the HIV-infected student. Salient medical and legal aspects related to the educational placement and school attendance of HIV-infected children are reviewed. Recommendations for…

This study of rural schools in the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas focused on self-reported characteristics of secondary school principals as well as their leadership style. A total of 592 surveys were mailed to the identified population, of whom 462 returned completed forms. It was found that the Great Plains rural…

The quality of instruction in the education of deaf and hard-of-hearing students is based on comprehensive preservice teacher education programs and instructional supervision of beginning teachers by a qualified veteran teacher. However, declining enrollments in special schools for the deaf and the fragmented placement of hearing-impaired students…