Discusses four issues in rural education in remote areas of Australia: (1) the education of girls; (2) the education of aborigines; (3) education for lifelong learning; and (4) the need to compile current research on rural education in Australia and plan further research accordingly. (KS)

At Annenberg Rural Challenge sites, people in small U.S. communities have gathered their resources and organized their schools so as to reclaim rural places and traditions facing economic or political eradication. Educational innovations and practices at various sites are described, and their application to urban settings is discussed. Includes 10…

The experiences of two schoolmasters in the small Western Port Bay fishing community of Hastings (Australia) in the last century are presented to provide insights to present-day teachers about the nature of living and teaching in a rural community. The second schoolmaster did a much better job than the first in involving parents in school…

Profiles and contact information for 14 candidate programs for the 1999 Australian Rural Education Award. Programs feature tree planting, transportation to boarding school, community development, business awareness, early childhood services, GIS technology, community-based curriculum development, reading resources, environmental service learning,…

A study compared the performance of rural and urban Western Australian students on the college-entrance mathematics examination following introduction of graphics calculators. Although urban students scored higher than rural students in the 3 years studied, the gap remained relatively consistent, indicating that rural students were not further…

Describes past and present economic and social conditions of rural Victoria (Australia). Discusses disadvantage and advantage in rural areas and the need for lifelong learning. Analyzes the policy development of the Country Education Project (CEP) and obstacles to the implementation of the CEP. Outlines challenges and issues for the organization.…

Traveling schools provided elementary education for children in geographically isolated areas in New South Wales (Australia) from 1908 through 1949. Their success was due to the quality and dedication of the teachers and to the system of correspondence teaching developed within these schools. (LP)

A mother describes the troubles she and her daughter had with her daughter's education until Robert Owens gave a weekend workshop on values-based accelerated learning. Knowing that there are different learning styles that can be matched by appropriate teaching styles enabled her to understand her daughter's problems and develop strategies to help…

Rural teaching is a phenomenon often characterised by transitions: transitions from urban or regional universities to rural communities, between rural teaching posts and others, and from classroom teaching to leadership responsibilities. In the last century many Australian teachers have begun their careers, that is, they have undertaken the…

School at the Center, a U.S. place-based educational initiative, was successfully trialed in North Queensland (Australia). For place-based education to take root in Australia, place-based educational strategies must be taught in preservice teacher education programs. However, to be seriously considered by teacher education programs, place-based…

A study of rural Queensland (Australia) parents' views of their children's involvement in physical activity interviewed parents who taught their children at home using distance education. Physical activity was encouraged, but not formally taught; health was linked more to nutrition than exercise; and lack of participation in team games was…

A final-year teacher education unit in New South Wales (Australia) uses action research as a learning process for interns. Online communication is the key support mechanism for interns placed in distant rural schools. Students appreciate the move to online work because it forces them to read, and bulletin boards provide support for complex…

Describes the development of a booklet and video for teacher education students on the use of distance-education technology in remote rural Australian schools. Provides an overview of the use of 15 information technologies in the 8 Australian states and territories. (SV)

Sunraysia College of TAFE (Australia) offers courses via six alternative delivery systems (outreach, correspondence, extended campus, teleconferencing, satellite, and videoconferencing). Twelve program and delivery variables were rated by 110 students with regard to their contribution to program success. Similar success factors were found for both…

Among 24 tenth-grade students in an isolated rural school in Western Australia, all intended to finish twelfth grade although that required leaving home. Students' career decisions were influenced mainly by their mothers, with little influence from schools and teachers. Girls expressed more criticism of rural schooling than did boys. (LP)