A study examined characteristics common among young offenders from rural communities who were involved in multiple-fatality school shootings. Data on six cases involving eight offenders revealed six common offender characteristics: verbal threats, peer rejection, interest in violent media, previous violent behavior, suicidal ideation, and violent…

Compares behaviors of superintendents in two neighboring small, rural school districts, one of which had exceptional student achievement. Concludes that the effective rural superintendent exhibits many of the behaviors observed in effective inner-city principals, and may be the pivotal figure in promoting effective rural education. (SV)

In this article we describe the mutual development of a school system in a poor rural county with one of its teachers. We recount the conditions leading to the coordination and writing of a Technology Literacy Challenge Fund proposal to ameliorate inadequate computer technology and initiate pedagogical change. We apply the expansive methodology of…

This case study describes a career education program that has engaged rural secondary school students with the experience of university. The residential experience program included learning exercises for career exploration, attending university, and social experiences related to living in a city. Evaluation indicated that rural schools and…

Student teaching is a challenging period for preservice teachers as they make the transition from preparation to practice. Support from mentor teachers and university personnel can make this time easier, helping preservice teachers successfully integrate educational theory into their practice. Because of logistical, financial, and personnel…

This module helps the facilitator in training other educators in the effective use of a wealth of field test data gathered through case studies of all nine sites at which the Rural America Series has been rigorously field tested over a 15-month period. The module is particularly valuable in assisting program planners to anticipate and avoid errors…

Descriptions of seven diverse bilingual education programs focus on instructional practices that have contributed to the programs' effectiveness as measured by exceptional student achievement, trained observers' perceptions of instructional quality, and the pride of professional staff and parents. The program settings and types include these: (1)…

The relationships between student and high school, and school and community in a small, rural Midwestern community ("Mansfield") were documented through on-site interviews, tapes, diaries, and minutes of school board meetings. Mansfield school district contained approximately 2,200 persons and somewhat over 500 students in a…

The rural school district examined in this case study is the smallest of the five covered in this series, which is published in conjuction with a planning manual on declining enrollment. The principal issue in this Minnesota district is simply survival. Its initially small enrollment has shrunk even further, and enrollment projections indicate…

Three Australian students who had moved from a small rural primary school to larger secondary schools were interviewed to examine how they experienced the transition. Although the larger environment at the secondary schools was a factor, the transition was not difficult with regard to social aspects, such as making new friends. The teaching and…

Rural schools typically face multiple challenges related to providing educational opportunities for students and staff. A comparison of curricular offerings in English, foreign languages, and mathematics in a Chicago suburban high school, a rural high school district, and a small rural unit district reveals the curricular disadvantages of small…

This paper provides special educators with effective strategies for successfully implementing full inclusion of disabled students in general education classrooms. The starting point for inclusion is the Individualized Education Plan (IEP), which develops goals and objectives and considers appropriate student placement. Frequently, IEP objectives…

Case studies were conducted to gain a better understanding of the impact of technology in schools, focusing on schools that have had a technology-rich environment for at least 2 years. The four sites selected included a rural high school, a suburban middle school, an urban elementary school, and an urban high school. The case studies collected…

This case study describes a 2-year (1988-90) demonstration dropout prevention program, a collaboration between a rural school and a university. The dropout prevention program attempts to identify effective teaching strategies that will increase the academic successes of at-risk sixth-grade students and expand the use of those strategies among the…

This paper discusses issues involved in teaching culturally diverse students and questions current practices in multicultural teacher education. The central portion of the paper describes and discusses an alternative approach to multicultural teacher education through the Teachers for Alaska program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Teachers…