A rapidly growing number of rural students are increasingly involved in some form of distance learning for all or part of the school day (or night). The precise long-term impact of distance learning technologies on schooling will not be known for several years. But this paper embraces the likelihood that distance learning will revolutionize the…

Discusses four challenges in providing staff development in rural schools. Distance education links using audiographics, sharing responsibilities between the university and local schools to promote ownership of training, and using school-based teams or grade-level units for increasing collaboration among staff are described. (Contains seven…

In 1987-88, advanced placement courses were offered by only 39 of South Carolina's 58 small rural high schools, compared to 100 percent of all other high schools. Distance learning systems, such as the Star Schools Project, provide a feasible option to expand the curriculum in small rural high schools. (SV)

Provides contact information and brief descriptions of 13 high schools, colleges, community programs, and distance education schools receiving the Australian Rural Education Award in 2000. (SV)

Despite improvements in educational indicators, such as enrolment, significant challenges remain with regard to the delivery of quality education in developing countries, particularly in rural and remote regions. In the attempt to find viable solutions to these challenges, much hope has been placed in new information and communication technologies…

This paper describes types of interactive communications technologies relevant to education and discusses their current and potential uses in rural Australia. "Teleconferencing" is a generic term for interactive electronic communications. The four main types of teleconferencing--audio, audiographic, video, and computer (text)…

This paper describes the current British education system as background to a discussion of implementation of the 1981 Education Act in Powys County, Wales. Special education within this system has traditionally occurred off-site of mainstream campuses. Generally, the Act defines special education, imposes on Local Education Authorities (LEAs) the…

Discusses barriers to integration of handicapped youngsters into school systems: historical legacy of special education; community attitudes; lack of trained educators; disincentives in state funding formulas. Describes regional resource centers providing technical assistance to state agencies, grants for projects on transition from school to…

Discusses efforts over the past 25 years to formalize the role of West Virginia's community colleges in the context of the state's rural character and low college graduation rates. Describes a reorganization following a 1987 study by the Carnegie Foundation and state legislation designed to fine tune the colleges' mission. (10 citations) (AJL)

This keynote speech discusses the rise of telecommunicated distance education in the United States. Interactive satellite broadcasts for K-12 instruction are now received by more than 1,000 schools in more than 40 states. Similarly, many states are working with two-way interactive television projects, slow-scan television systems, and…

This publication contains ten articles concerning the development of human resources in rural areas. It focuses on a broad perspective of rural adult education and the issues facing those who wish to serve rural areas. The articles and their authors are: "Rural Adults and Postsecondary Education" (Jacqueline D. Spears and others);…

Developed in the early 1980s, the Hill Areas Education project provides basic education to children and adults of Thailand's six ethnic minority groups, who live in the remote mountainous region of northern Thailand. The project delivers a locally relevant curriculum, equivalent to the six compulsory grades of the formal education system; promotes…

This report describes 10 projects funded by the federal Technology Opportunities Program, in which people in isolated regions are finding ways to connect to new information networks and are reaping social, economic, and educational benefits. In the sprawling Navajo Nation, where many families lack even basic telephone service, local tribal…

The Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI), supported by the Ford Foundation, sought to energize distressed rural communities and the local colleges that serve them. Through a structured process of guided intervention, 24 colleges and their communities learned how to build new partnerships, adapt new ideas to local needs, and implement…

The access to postsecondary education that is offered to students in rural areas differs significantly from the access available to urban students. An overview is given of the various factors and structural obstacles influencing rural access to postsecondary education, including aspirations, college preparation, socioeconomic characteristics of…