In rural Burkina Faso, donor agencies and the national government have initiated a five-year reform program aimed at decentralizing educational administration and augmenting local participation in school management. Reforms are founded on misplaced assumptions about public ownership of formal education, efficacy of short-term training, and shared…

Evaluating Chinese publications about rural education and needed reforms presents several problems: political limits on educational debate; paucity of statistical data and reference citations; and complex ideological statements. Examination of nine journal and newspaper articles reveals that they cautiously endorse rural education reforms within…

This article defines historical and contemporary rural schools, outlines three sociological and political economy perspectives essential for understanding why school consolidation and rural school reform are abiding themes in rural America, and examines the political and economic context of a vigorous new school consolidation program in West…

Compares standards-based reforms with rural school improvement efforts that emphasize locally responsive, place-based curricula. Concludes that while the two movements differ in philosophical orientation, they share the goals of increasing equity in schools, making curricula and pedagogy intellectually rigorous, and creating content and…

Educators in Missouri must take offensive action promoting public education to counteract the negative press received nationwide in recent years. Communities should organize committees to address the needs of its students and address these needs with specific goals. Regional and state goals should also be made, keeping local goals in mind. St.…

This guide, intended to help rural educators improve their school or district, connects general knowledge about educational change efforts and knowledge about conditions and characteristics specific to rural education. Chapter 1 discusses common strengths and weaknesses of rural schools and describes values and social patterns in small schools and…

This paper describes education reform as an integrated effort to modify not only the structure and elements of the education system but also the culture or belief structure of that system. Central to any discussion of school reform are the elements of restructuring, empowerment, and change. Current reform efforts in restructuring revolve around a…

In many areas in the United States the educational scene now comprises two separate systems; one designed to meet the needs of the "normal learner," and the other consisting of a maze of legislated assistance programs for the "special learner." However, there are not two distinct types of students. What is needed is a unified…

A relationship exists between agrarian thought and the practice of formal schooling in the rural Midwest. Three traditions have shaped agrarian thinking about democracy and its application to social institutions, especially education. Fundamentalism, localism, and pastoralism have combined to form the ideological base for rural resistance to…

One of 6 state reports of projects and programs operating in cooperation with the Regional Curriculum Project, the document highlights major curriculum-change programs in South Carolina which were initiated in 1966. The 4 projects reported are "Curriculum Study in Berkeley County," which had as its purpose the identification and…

During this two-day conference in 1968, 12 community representatives (black, Navajo, Appalachian, and migrant farm worker), who had had experience with trying to influence school policy and teacher training, confronted elementary teachers, teacher educators, and representatives from the U.S. Office of Education. The theme of many speeches is…

The research base for science and mathematics education in rural school contexts is extremely limited. Education reform movements have generally been unresponsive to the unique qualities of rural schools, and many national and state reform leaders continue to ignore the importance of local contexts. A conference was held in May 2001 to identify a…

In partnership with the Memorial University of Newfoundland, the Vista School District, 1 of 10 districts in Newfoundland, Canada, established the Vista School District Digital Intranet (VSDDI) to deliver Web-based advanced placement courses to rural students. Advanced placement mathematics, physics, biology, and chemistry courses are delivered…

The Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico-Rural Systemic Initiative (UCAN-RSI) supports systemic reform of mathematics, technology, and science education for rural students in its states, focusing on schools with high enrollments of American Indian and Hispanic students. This performance effectiveness review covers UCAN's progress during its second…

Funded by the National Science Foundation, the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative (AKRSI) promotes systemic educational reform based in the culture and philosophy of the Alaska Native world view. AKRSI's first 5-year funding cycle ended in August 2000, and AKRSI was funded for a second 5 years beginning in November 2000. AKRSI activities are…