Graduate teachers generally experience an array of emotions and self negotiations about beliefs, values, personal and professional identity and their ability to evidence the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) at graduate stage when they commence as new classroom teachers. Much has been said about developing pre service teachers'…

The development and use of new media in the class emphasizes independent learning based on the activities of the students, constructivist learning and student-centred lessons in general. Using new media in the class does not prompt more efficient learning and teaching in itself, but can initiate the learning processes by didactically shaping the…

This study surveyed teacher's attitudes toward participatory decision making activity. The trend toward school-based management raises the question of whether or not teachers actually want to be involved in management of their schools. Sixty-seven teachers, from small schools taking graduate courses during the 1991 summer session at the Central…

This paper focuses on the history and utilization of special education funding in the Green Valley Area Education Agency 14 (AEA 14). AEA 14 is the most rural AEA in Iowa and serves 22 public school districts and 1 parochial school district. AEA 14 has lagged financially due to its sparse population and low special education funding. Services such…

This paper discusses the question of standardization and educational equity among rural school systems and offers three "fundamental challenges" for educators. The first challenge is to take seriously the power of education and to resist the temptation to reduce expectations placed on education and educators. The power of education is…

America's educators have the ability and the responsibility to help at-risk students learn that they can succeed and that they must make the most of life. Educators should provide a caring environment, encourage students to take risks, and provide support when risk taking is not always successful. Rural students, like urban and suburban students,…

This paper focuses on how teachers in a rural elementary school, involved in the fourth year of a restructuring process (the Accelerated Schools Project), used inquiry to transform teaching and learning. In the past, teachers generally worked within their own classrooms and had little input in school wide operations. However, after four years of…

Focusing on investigating processes of curricular and instructional change for the period 1976-82, the study examined change processes in 2 medium size (400-500 students) Vermont rural high schools not known for being innovative. The research framework was constructed around the change process model and accompanying subprocesses of mobilization,…

There is an evolving paradigm shift in the field of rural education away from emulating urban schools and toward a pedagogy of place. This shift is influenced by the following trends: 1) the rediscovery of the unique features of rural and small schools as strengths to be nurtured, not problems to be solved; 2) the recognition that centralized,…

A survey of 342 rural South Carolina teachers examined teacher attitudes toward inclusion of special needs students in regular education settings. The survey included 25 statements, to which respondents reacted on a five-point scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Major topics addressed included regular education teachers, collaboration…

This paper examines perceptions of regular and special educators concerning the frequency and importance of collaborative practices in inclusive schools. Eighty schools in four rural counties of southern Ohio were ranked according to students' grade point average. A questionnaire was distributed to regular and special educators serving on…

This paper reports a study of teachers' attitudes toward implementation of social skills instruction. Twenty-eight regular and special education teachers from a rural southwestern high school voluntarily responded to a questionnaire. Teachers reported a preference for proactive, comprehensive social skills activities implemented as part of a…

This paper addresses problems in providing educational services to gifted students in rural areas and discusses feasible solutions. Rural schools face numerous obstacles such as small numbers of identified gifted students; limited resources and funding; locations distant from universities, libraries, and cultural activities; difficulty in…

Discipline concerns have consistently been ranked in the top 10 of the most serious problems facing public schools. Discipline problems were examined in 12 urban and rural middle and junior high schools in Utah. For each discipline referral over a 5-week period, a standardized student referral form was completed that documented action taken by the…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness and the efficacy of regional special education programs. Focus groups were conducted in an independent school district and two special education cooperatives. Focus groups were conducted with general education teachers, special education teachers, principals, paraprofessionals,…