Despite all the efforts deployed by the countries of the world and the vigorous mobilization of the international community, rural people are lagging far behind in education and are particularly hard hit by poverty and hunger. In developing countries, the slow progress towards universal education is largely due to the sluggish growth of school…

The Early Childhood Atlas facilitates spatial analysis in early childhood services research for the promotion of greater quality and accessibility of early care and education. The Atlas team collects and geocodes federal, state and nongovernmental datasets about early childhood services, integrating selected data elements into its online mapmaking…

During the past several decades, child poverty rates have been higher in rural than in urban areas, and now 2.5 million children live in deep poverty in rural America. Studies indicate that poor children are most affected by the typical "summer slide." Summer programming has the ability to address the issues of academic loss, nutritional…

Lack of access to basic education leads to diminished individual and national capabilities, therewith furthering cycles of poverty. An equitable education system meeting basic learning needs represents not only a human right, but also a means for reducing poverty, promoting productivity, and sustaining development. The Government of China--the…

Provides a 20-year retrospective view of the development of Cuban education; examines the broader aspects of the system and details its accomplishments as well as some of its problems. (AEA)

Designed to provide online resources for upper secondary students studying for the Higher School certificate (HSC), the NSW HSC Online Project aims to make quality resources easily accessible to rural and regional users in New South Wales (Australia). The project is a collaborative venture of Charles Sturt University and the New South Wales…

The Education Express, a state-of-the-art mobile classroom, brings computer training to rural training sites in Schuyler, Chemung, and Tioga Counties--the Southern Tier of New York. Clients include nurses, other workers, senior citizens, and GED students, who lack access to such trainings because of financial, time, or distance constraints.…

In response to the expense and unreliability of radio and telephone communications, the New South Wales (Australia) Department of Education and Training undertook a trial of satellite technology to deliver interactive lessons to elementary students in remote areas. The Gilat satellite system developed in Israel is described, including equipment,…

Rural and urban family literacy programs share similar challenges in helping families work through obstacles to participation, such as transportation and childcare. However, the scope and nature of these challenges and the program management strategies to deal with them differ in rural and urban settings. Some of the most creative solutions to…

Indicates that changing needs, increasing numbers of adult learners, and new technologies are stimulating innovative continuing education in rural America. Identifies issues that must be resolved if access to and quality of educational services for rural adults are to improve. (JOW)

Among 74 rural respondents to an adult education questionnaire, most favored group instruction offered at traditional locations on practical, economically relevant subjects. The most frequently cited barriers to participation were situational, with cost predominant. The greatest resistance to adult education was centered in the neediest…

A number of procedures were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the "Helping Hand," a free monthly newsletter published by the Barbour County (Alabama) Extension Service, with a circulation of 1,000. Seven criteria were established using related literature and advice from extension service professionals. A questionnaire and a cover…

Reports on a study of the barriers to adult participation in postsecondary education in the Appalachian regions of six southern states. Discusses policy-related, dispositional, situational, and institutional barriers to enrollment, and offers recommendations for reducing the obstacles. (DMM)

A three-round modified Delphi survey of about 200 college administrators, educators, state education personnel, and policymakers in 13 midwestern and northwestern states identified 47 barriers to rural adult education; 22 were institutional. Respondents also identified institutional actions and public policies that would improve educational…

In 2005, there was a transition in China, in which public policy toward education underwent a systemwide change. In this article, the author explores the educational development in China and examines reforms concerning educational issues that were of intense concern to society. In recent years, Chinese education at all levels has undergone massive…