Students from a Kansas technology magnet school helped create a CD-ROM depicting the Wichita Art Museum's collection. Project evaluation examined development of the school-museum partnership; benefits to students, museum, and community; and partnership problems. A brief literature review discusses partnership features and barriers, and benefits of…

Overviews factors that influenced school consolidation and the development of centralized elementary schools in rural Hong Kong since the mid-1980s, including changes in urban development, population redistribution, and government policy on rural education. Also describes the context of rural school consolidation in the Wimmera, Victoria,…

Addresses factors affecting rural education in Tasmania (Australia), including population trends, financial support, student enrollment, socioeconomic status of rural residents, and geographic isolation. Issues that need to be addressed include the status of small schools in Tasmania, costs associated with transporting students, staffing, low…

Describes a preservice teacher education course dealing with rural education, based on contemporary learning theories and delivered through telematics at an Australian university. Students learned about teaching and learning with telematics through being taught with telematics and through independent learning activities. Outcomes and findings…

An Australian cultural diversity training program for rural teachers is described. The goal is to train local Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal personnel to deliver diversity workshops to new teachers and establish school-community collaborative approaches to supporting Aboriginal students within their own cultural setting. Anticipated outcomes,…

A study examining university service delivery in isolated rural southwestern Australia interviewed 25 active and inactive distance students. Issues identified include isolation, lack of peer interaction/support, limited access to academic resources, and the need for motivation. Respondents indicated that methodology, face to face contact, and an…

Strategies for easing the transition of beginning teachers in isolated rural communities are discussed. Preservice teachers should spend time in a variety of schools and cultivate a positive outlook toward rural teaching. Meet-the-teacher nights and adopt-a-teacher schemes build rapport between teachers and community. Support from principals, the…

Presents a case study of the impact of rapid educational policy change toward self-management on two small rural schools and their communities in Victoria (Australia). Suggests that self-management requires strong community support, and the quality of this support is directly related to a sense of autonomy and ownership. Community support is…

Describes the Farm Management Home Study Program, a distance education program implemented in 1970 that has allowed over 10,000 farmers and land and business managers in rural New South Wales (Australia) to upgrade their skills through vocational programs in farm management, farm office management, and other vocational courses related to farming.…

A beginning teacher appointed to a remote Aboriginal school in the Northern Territory (Australia) describes experiences that led him to question his worth as a teacher, including social and professional isolation, his idealistic expectations of becoming a teacher, and difficulties in teaching students of various ages and academic levels. (LP)

Explains how one college student overcame the barriers of living in an isolated, rural area of Tasmania (Australia) to achieve his goal of a career in flying. Stresses the importance of schools encouraging not only student retention but also the formulation of students' personal visions and goals. (LP)

Australian rural communities often suffer from psychological isolation in addition to geographic isolation. Human and social capital are powerful antidotes to psychological isolation and are closely dependent on learning. Rural schools can reverse the negative effects of isolation on educational outcomes if they first work on building human and…

A survey of 20 parents of 3-year-old children attending an early childhood service in an isolated rural community in Victoria, Australia, found an overwhelming desire for children to develop social skills. Preparation for city life, exposure to cultural opportunities, and having teachers prepared for the unique aspects of rural life were also…

Addresses the needs of gifted children in rural New South Wales and discusses disadvantages often experienced by rural gifted students. Describes a project coordinated by the Armidale Catholic Schools Office that developed enrichment materials for gifted rural students in grades 3-10. Includes brief descriptions of learning modules and cites…

A survey of home-schooling parents and staff associated with the Longreach School of Distance Education in a remote area of Queensland (Australia) examined attitudes about the importance of drama and visual arts education. The majority of parents valued their children's participation in the arts and would like to see more arts education included…