This article details a Title II grant funded professional development project for rural STEM teachers. For this project teachers were grouped in online professional learning communities (PLCs). Participants shared teaching videos and received feedback from their group members and university faculty. In a face-to-face workshop, participants were…

A model, appropriate for small and rural schools, offers an alternative to consolidation. Through its use, four Minnesota school districts have retained aspects of local school tradition and have provided improved educational opportunities to their high school students. (CM)

Describes setting, rationale, organization, schools and communities, activities, and evaluation of a model small school cluster begun in 1981 in South Dakota. Discusses issues in implementing cluster strategies: goals, commitments, size, location, outside support, organizational structure, leadership, meeting schedules, faculty involvement,…

A nationwide study of 205 K-12 unit schools found above-average test scores, postsecondary attendance, and high school completion rates. Both satellite and Internet systems were used in two-fifths of these schools. Single-school districts spent more per pupil on unit schools, employed more cooperative strategies, and were more fiscally…

Consistent with their name and mission, rural community colleges should be committed to building community. This can be accomplished through comprehensive curricula; extracurricular events; community education programs; continuing education; partnering with businesses and schools to encourage local youth to prepare for college; service learning;…

A study examining collaboration between two small rural school districts in Kansas found that school boards and superintendents from both districts encouraged and supported continuous collaboration, that collaboration supported more comprehensive curricular and extracurricular programs, and that collaboration allowed districts to maintain their…

By focusing on advantages inherent in what are typically considered disadvantages for rural schools, 14 rural, southern California school districts cooperated in implementing a successful inquiry-based elementary science program. Isolation and low population density resulted in a stable teaching force familiar with the community, and the area's…

The Hale County (Alabama) school system and the University of Alabama formed a long-range collaborative relationship targeted at meeting staffing shortages and improving science instruction in the rural county. Statistically significant gains were achieved in the science teachers' mastery of content, teaching methodology, and attitudes toward…