Despite the existing research on rural education, rural teaching, and pre-service rural practicum placements, there is little research on the experiences of beginning teachers in rural schools. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Saskatchewan beginning teachers who obtain employment in rural or northern schools. Eight…

The five-year rural elementary teacher education program at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, features extended field experience in remote rural schools and communities. The program seeks to provide preservice elementary teachers with a realistic awareness of the rural teacher's worklife. (SV)

Reviews contextual forces that influence rural school administrators, such as depopulation, mandated educational reforms, new technologies, at-risk students, and lack of equal opportunity. Describes support systems needed for rural principals, and outlines an interagency approach to delivery of locally relevant site-based leadership development…

A rural Canadian secondary school developed a cross-age peer-assisted summer program to improve academic achievement and career awareness. Although there was no significant improvement in math grades for female participants, 91 percent of students claimed the program helped them in their present courses. Other outcomes included improved academic…

Describes a teacher-training program designed to give nonrural students the knowledge, background, skills, and attitudes necessary for successful rural teaching and living. Outlines the two-year course of study which emphasizes early field experience and includes topics such as rural demography, personal satisfaction predictors, and alternative…

Discusses supervised correspondence education for both teachers and students to complement conventional classrooms and expand secondary curriculum for rural schools. Recommends needs assessment; checking availability of needed materials; sharing material among schools; course scheduling to assure students of regualar supervision and assistance;…

Questionnaires mailed to a sample of teachers, students, and parents in Western Australia and Northwestern Ontario (Canada) were used to study the effects of isolation on rural education. Although the geographical distance may permeate all aspects of isolation, three discrete types of isolation emerged from the responses--social, cultural, and…