This report examines the extent and process by which rural origins may affect socioeconomic attainments in adulthood and how these "costs" have changed during this century. Introductory sections review research and theories of rural differentiation and stratification and the history of major federal policy initiatives for rural…

In Bolivia, a third of rural children are stunted, and rural infants are twice as likely to die before age 2 than urban infants. National survey data indicate child survival and development are related to maternal education and literacy, community sanitation practices, access to health care, and socioeconomic status. Parental knowledge about…

This report addresses issues related to the responsibility of public schools to prepare rural youth for life choices about careers, postsecondary education, and place of residence. A synthesis of current research literature, as well as the perceptions of rural educators and policymakers in the Northwest, explore some potential resolutions to the…

This report builds upon the "State of the South, 1996" report by concentrating on how various segments of the region's population are faring, with special attention to gender, ethnicity, and education. States included in the regional analysis are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina,…

Elderly Hispanic and non-Hispanic rural and urban noninstitutionalized residents of three Texas counties (Hidalgo, Cameron, and Willacy) which border Mexico showed significant differences in educational attainment, income, occupation, and family support. Face-to-face interviews were conducted by mostly bilingual elderly volunteers. Age…

This special theme issue reports key results from a comprehensive assessment of skill development among the rural workforce and of rural education and job training in rural areas. This comprehensive assessment had three goals: to develop better measures of rural skills than were previously available, to identify human capital initiatives that…

This report analyzes 30-year trends in population, jobs, income, poverty, and education in the South, including comparisons to national trends and projections for the year 2010. The report aims to document the South's success in overcoming poverty and discrimination, draw attention to barriers that block further economic progress, and make…

This report overviews the rationale for conducting an ethnographic study of cultural factors that influence student aspiration in Tremont, a small rural community on Mount Desert Island, Maine. Although Tremont is the poorest community on Mount Desert Island, Tremont students scored as well or better on the Maine Educational Assessment than did…

This paper uses data from the Morocco Living Standard Survey in an econometric investigation of the relative effectiveness of supply- and demand-side factors in determining educational outcomes. A wide range of factors are examined that may be responsible for differences in grade completion levels and achievement among sexes, regions, and urban…

This book examines the education, training, and skill supply of the rural workforce; the role of rural workforce quality in rural development; and the barriers that prevent many rural people from obtaining the skills needed for good jobs. Data are drawn from large national surveys of schools, students, and households. The first three chapters…

An Australian study of 40,000 women found that the age at which young women have children is related to broader patterns of social inequality and to the disadvantagement of young rural women. Of particular concern is the increasing polarization between better-educated young women who defer motherhood and less-educated women who have children at a…

This report, culling data from Census Bureau reports from 1850 to 1980 provides information in the following three categories: (1) Minority Groups in Iowa: The Situation in 1980; (2) Changes from 1970 to 1980 for Black and White Iowans; and (3) Changes from 1900 to 1980 for Black and White Iowans. Among the highlights for the Iowa population in…

In this study 222 urban and rural Hispanic students from Colorado in grades 10 and 12 were classified into the following catagories: (1) dropouts; (2) strugglers, whose attendance levels and grade point averages (GPAs) were below the class median; and (3) achievers, whose GPAs were in the top tertile of their class. The students and their families…

Thirty-six tables provide detailed information about educational and socioeconomic characteristics of students nationwide. The data show, among other things, that overall enrollment is down from 1970, especially at the kindergarten and elementary school level. College attendance is up, though, as more women and people over 25 enroll. This is…

Reviews research literature examining how family environment and parental aspirations and attitudes influence children's educational achievement in modernizing Kenya. Pinpoints research questioning scope of family influence, who in the family most influences, and how they affect children's education. Investigates the financial support and access…