The Interdisciplinary Teamed Instruction (ITI) project investigated the effects of interdisciplinary, teamed instruction on secondary school teaching and learning. It examined the effectiveness of a professional development model that facilitated the development, implementation, and evaluation of ITI. Through summer institutes and onsite…

Examined the change process in 54 schools serving diverse, low-income students over four years as they strove to become more effective. Case study data highlighted distinct differences in the approach to reform among schools. Schools in which adults perceived a real opportunity to improve students' academic circumstances were able to transform…

The 1988-89 study reported in this paper focused on teacher attrition, examining the characteristics of beginning teachers in North Dakota. The purpose was to compare characteristics of those teachers who stayed in their first positions with those who left. The study gathered data by surveying school administrators and elementary and secondary…

Rural education trends in the 1980s--influenced by decreased federal, state, and local funding and demands for higher academic standards and greater accountability--will have a significant impact on staff development in small and rural schools. Along with ebbing support for compensatory education and increased focus on math and science…

The one-teacher school in the United States is usually housed in the meanest type of school building, the supplies furnished the rural children are the scantiest, the school term is usually the shortest, the rural teachers represent the most inexperienced, and community support of the school is usually less enthusiastic than the support accorded…

The faculty of one rural middle school in Ohio received professional development funds to implement a 5-year school improvement plan (Ohio's Venture Capital initiative). A study of the project investigated: (1) how the experience affected teachers' perceptions of their roles as reflective practitioners and as resources to their colleagues; (2) how…

This collection of papers examines the premises for changes to the curriculum and the manner in which those changes are reflected in the development of schools in Finland and England. The papers provide an intrinsic context for integrating language and content. The book begins with a foreword, "The Challenges of Curriculum Development and the…

This study investigated professional development as provided through the Teacher Leadership Academy (TLA) model used in rural Illinois area school districts and district consortia. Surveys were distributed to TLA participants that sought their perceptions of the desirability, involvement, and feasibility of school reform in general and the…

We examine the science and pedagogy behind a historical approach to the professional development of pre-college science (primarily biology) teachers. Our intention is to reach professional scientists, who, as a group, are uniquely qualified to provide experience and insights essential to this approach. The underlying research for this article has…

General educators' perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs towards gifted learners and education of the gifted at both elementary and secondary levels in small, rural schools were examined. Eighteen teachers from a rural K-12 Kansas district having 518 students completed questionnaires during summer 1985 and during the 1985-86 school year, and the…

Compiled to assist rural school advisers in their work and to inform those interested in rural education and in the administration and development of the rural advisory service, this report outlines the nature and contribution of the service, methods by which it achieves its purpose, and its major perceived needs. The first section describes the…

While small rural colleges have much the same goals as larger institutions, they have fewer resources with which to work, and therefore their management problems are unique. In the areas of staffing, time management, staff development, and recruitment and promotion, the small college can increase management effectiveness. Despite increasing…

Chinese researchers investigated how mathematics teachers in two elementary schools in northeast China adapted the national curriculum. One school was in a very poor, mountainous area, and the other school was in a very large city. Both used the national curriculum and the same set of teaching materials. Researchers used ethnographic methods to…

To increase enrollment in high school science classes and, thereby, increase scientific literacy among Americans, efforts must begin in elementary and middle schools. The Blue Mountain Small School Consortium, nine small and rural schools in southeastern Washington, cooperated with Whitman College in a search for improved methods of teaching…

An overview is provided of "Rural AGE: Accessing Gerontological Education," a 3-year curriculum and faculty development project in Kansas aimed at transferring gerontological expertise and educational capacities from state universities to a consortium of seven rural community colleges. Introductory sections explain the purpose, background, and…