Globalization and increased diversity within student populations generate a growing impetus toward a multicultural approach to music education. Additionally, the National Standards in Music Education require that students experience the music of other cultures. However, not all multicultural music programs are equivalent in content, depth of…

For the past 10 years a rural Pennsylvania school system has worked to develop a high quality educational technology program. In 1997 the district surveyed its faculty and found that there was a low level of technology infusion in the teaching/learning processes. Teachers were also found to be uncomfortable with computers and software applications…

This study was designed to assess high school students' opinions concerning issues relating to homework assignments. A questionnaire about homework was completed by 210 selected high school seniors in 7 rural Tennessee high schools. Findings indicate that 83 percent of respondents were assigned homework on a regular basis, with about two-thirds…

A review of school-reform literature reveals that the school principal is the key player in all successful reforms. The effective-schools movement recognized the importance of quality leadership by consistently identifying strong instructional leadership as instrumental in creating a school climate conducive to student success. This descriptive…

Despite the sizable literature on school transportation, little information exists about the social and intellectual implications of long bus rides for students and families or the possible negative consequences of school bus rides. This study examined the nature and experience of riding the school bus in rural as compared to suburban locales in…

Mentorship programs are a promising approach to the professional development needs of new principals. The Southeastern Regional Principals' Academy provides professional development and collegial support for early-career principals in the primarily rural schools of southeast Ohio. For its 1999-2001 pilot program, 19 principals were organized into…

A survey examined the mission, operation, and services of statewide formal networks addressing the concerns of rural school systems. Of 21 known state rural education associations, responses were received from 10: Arizona, California, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New York, Ohio, and Texas. Respondents indicated that, in general,…

Few actions are more important to a school board than the selection of a new superintendent. A rural district can use the search process to unify constituents and clarify its mission. This paper presents a 17-item checklist that outlines the steps in the selection process. The checklist is currently undergoing pilot study in Nevada to determine…

This study identifies stressful events in the lives of high school students in a rural region of Tennessee. Questionnaires were completed by 240 high school students (144 female and 96 male). The questionnaires included 19 statements to which the participants were to respond concerning their belief about the stressfulness of the situation…

This paper presents a multifaceted approach for investigating the impact of the Success for All (SFA) program on children's reading proficiency. The approach advocated features case study research and uses document analysis, structured observation, interviews, and questionnaires to collect data. The research design was successfully field tested in…

Distance education technologies can help rural schools overcome the disadvantages of geographic isolation by expanding course offerings and learning opportunities and by connecting teachers with resource materials and training programs. Classroom-focused distance learning is distance insensitive and implies simultaneous instruction of several…

A survey containing open-ended questions about class size was distributed to teachers in five schools (3 elementary and 2 secondary) in a rural school district in south China. Responses were received from 55 of 100 teachers surveyed; all had 5 or more years of teaching experience. A class of 50 or more students was considered large, while one with…

This study identified common characteristics in six "good" secondary schools in the rural Appalachian regions of Kentucky and Tennessee. Three schools from each state were selected for study based on nominations by Chief State School Officers and local superintendents and ratings based on statistical information about the schools. Two…

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…

New principals face many challenges as they begin their profession. They must discover how to fit into the existing work group at their school (organizational socialization), while remaining distinct enough to contribute creatively to the growth and development of the school (leadership succession). As part of a larger phenomenological study, 10…