We examine 100 years of rural education research within the context of the demographic, migratory, economic, and social changes that have affected rural America in the past century. We use systematic review of the literature on rural teacher recruitment, retention, and training as a case study for looking at the constancy and change in the…

This presentation examines the history of women teachers in the rural United States. The earliest classrooms in America were a male environment modeled after European schools. But in the mid-19th century, the Civil War and westward expansion depleted the number of male teachers and brought rural women teachers to the helm of American education.…

A study sought to identify and verify the characteristics of rural settings and teachers that, in the literature, are related to success in rural teaching of students with handicapping conditions and to compare college faculty expectations and attitudes with those of local education administrators and master teachers. A survey was conducted by…

Project STEPE (Strengthening Teacher Effectiveness Through a Partnership of Equals), designed to improve instruction, involves collaboration between Western Carolina University and seven rural North Carolina school systems. The consortium also includes several institutions associated with education and rural issues, two community colleges,…

Inservice training and staff development for rural schools are complicated by limited access to advanced training programs, limited financial resources, and a high attrition rate among rural educators. One way in which rural schools and universities can collaboratively work to fill this void is through distance education, which can help rural…

Nationwide, the shortage of special education teachers is expected to grow, fueled by expanding demand and high teacher attrition rates. The situation in Texas mirrors that of the nation. A needs assessment conducted by Abilene Christian University (ACU) in west central Texas found: a continuing need for special education teachers in the area;…

The highest levels of dissatisfaction registered by practicing rural teachers in Australia about their training were toward distinctly rural components: multi-grade teaching, rural living, and school-community relationships. School-community relationships are important, especially so in rural areas because most rural schools are the center of…

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,…

The South Pacific School Libraries Project was launched by UNESCO in 1978 and continued until 1991. It was designed to improve school library service in the 11 independent island states (Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Turaw, Vanuatu, and Western Samoa) of the Southwest Pacific and to develop…

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 identifies problems in Native American teacher training and suggests solutions to improve the training. In New Mexico, ideal candidates for teacher licensure are a group of Native American teacher assistants who work with Native American students. Most lack the general education requirements for a bachelor's degree and must take…

Because extremely small rural districts in Oklahoma have limited resources and are not able to hire additional specialists, and because parents want education in local inclusive settings, most special education teachers in these districts serve students with disabilities for which they are not certified. A survey of school districts in Oklahoma…

Six professional development achools (PDS) have been established in rural West Virginia as a result of an education reform effort. Two junior high schools, two elementary schools, and two high schools have been participating for the past 2 years in restructuring efforts that involve collaboration between public school teachers and university…

Two-thirds of all schools in the United States are in rural areas, and the majority of unserved and underserved handicapped students are located in rural areas. This paper describes the Rural Transition Program Specialist project, a college program to train rural professionals in the planning, design, implementation and evaluation of career and…

This paper claims that broad educational policies and the"one best model" approach are not conducive to rural school improvement. It examines the problems with state policies and offers some solutions. Teacher certification has become increasingly narrow. Certification should allow for more generalist certifications, easier access to obtaining…