Rural America and its schools (which encompass nearly two-thirds of the 15,600 school districts in the United States) face an incredible array of challenges. Changes in demographic, economic, and social conditions are creating a new rural America which is beset by many problems. Rural poverty does not appear to be diminishing and researchers…

The study documents what happened in 10 rural communities when a federal educational funding program (Experimental Schools) in 1972 provided 5-year grants for demonstration projects designed both to improve the school system and, through the schools, to address a variety of community needs. The study employs two strategies to document the ways in…

This document contains the five issues of "Sharing Our Pathways" published in 2001. This newsletter of the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative (AKRSI) documents efforts to make Alaska rural education--particularly science education--more culturally relevant to Alaska Native students. Articles include "Research and Indigenous…

Despite Botswana's commitment to the ideals of democracy and equity, abject and relative poverty are widespread among the country's rural populace. Since Botswana's independence, its rates of poverty, unemployment, and illiteracy have increased. The situation necessitates fundamental changes in the lives of Botswana's rural residents. Such change…

This anthology focuses on rural education improvement that will prepare students for the 21st century. Articles address issues related to school funding, educational technology, curriculum offerings, state and federal policies, the role of rural teachers and administrators in school reform, cultural diversity, and changing socioeconomic factors in…

Written in 1910, this book was intended to enlighten rural school teachers, superintendents, and school board members as to the changing role of schools in meeting the needs of rural society and the demands of modern life. The contention was that rural schools should not prepare students for life in town, but rather prepare students for rural…

This book overviews the history of one-room schools in the United States during the 19th century and early 20th century in the midwestern states of Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The book is based on rural school records, correspondence of early school officers, contemporary texts, and…

This report identifies and examines current approaches to the provision of second- and third-level services in provincial school systems serving remote areas of Canada, and assesses the applicability of these approaches for First Nations schools. Second-level services are typically provided at the school board or system level and include…

Part of an 8-state effort to study the role rural schools have played in the history of the frontier and to locate and preserve information related to country schools, this report presents information drawn primarily from interviews with 30 former country school students, board members, and rural school teachers in western Nebraska and from visits…

As an examination of the role played by rural schools in the history of the Wyoming frontier and the result of an effort to locate and preserve information related to country schools, this report is part of an eight-state research effort. Periodicals, unpublished manuscripts, school records and interviews with 19 Wyoming residents reveal details…

The history of rural education in northwestern Wyoming and the accompanying bibliography of unpublished manuscripts, periodicals, school records, and oral histories comprise part of an eight-state research effort, Country School Legacy, to study the role rural schools have played in the history of the frontier and to locate and preserve…

When the Experimental Schools (ES) program began in 1972, schools in conservative and traditional River District, Wyoming, had just undergone a controversial consolidation. The ES program was perceived by new administrators as a source of necessary unity, useful outside help, and financial incentives. School trustees were "favorable but…

This collection of articles represents the state of the art with regard to understanding and attending to cross-cultural issues in Alaskan education. The views presented by the various authors indicate some of the approaches being taken to ameliorate what are probably the most vexing problems faced by educators anywhere in the country. The…

The role of the rural school on the plains of eastern Nebraska from the early days of the frontier to 1980 is examined in this portion of an eight-state research effort, the Country School Legacy Project, sponsored by the Mountain Plains Library Association to locate and preserve information related to country schools. Data and anecdotes obtained…

Addresses issues raised at the All-Union Congress of Workers in Public Education concerning improvement of the USSR's rural schools. Cites statistics depicting the inferior status of school buildings, instructional materials, student transportation, and teacher-pupil ratio. Connects rural school improvement to increased agricultural production.…