Learning Management Systems (LMS) are software-based platforms that provide the framework and tools needed to create online learning and/or training. Integration of a Learning Management System (LMS) in public education "opens new possibilities for online interaction among teachers, students, and parents" (Blau & Hameiri, 2010, p.…

There are racial/ethnic disparities associated with school punishment practices and academic progress. In addition, research suggests that urban schools have stricter school punishment practices and higher grade retention rates. What remains unknown, however, is the relationship between race/ethnicity, school punishment practices, and retention…

Describes the planning and development of a Career Day for all eighth graders in rural Penncrest School District. (SJL)

Effective leadership appears to be an element of a successful school, but few studies have covered either leadership in small and rural schools or effective schools with the ethnic mix of Anglo, Hispanic, and Native American students. This study's population consisted of the 24 New Mexico rural public elementary schools having an enrollment of 500…

This study examined the relationship between sex role stereotypes of women and eighth graders' beliefs in rape myths. Surveys indicated that both sexes accepted some rape myths and sex role stereotyping of women. There was an association between belief in rape myths and stereotyping. More boys than girls accepted rape myths. (SM)

Nationally, rural students in grade 8 outperformed their nonrural counterparts on the mathematics section of the 1996 National Assessment of Education Progress. Fourteen states had significant rural-urban differences in mathematics achievement, but seven favored rural students and seven favored nonrural students. This pattern was related to six…

The relationship between educational expenditures and pupil achievement has been a topic of increasing interest to legislators, school boards, and more recently, the courts. This paper examines the relationships among various measures of school district wealth and spending, other school district characteristics, and student achievement within the…

Data from 18,000 eighth-grade students from urban, suburban, and rural settings across the nation indicate that parental involvement varies across community settings. Rural parents are interested in their children's education, but may not be as well informed about school programs. Recommends that strategies should be developed to increase…

This paper examines the results of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) for the United States and South Korea. Eighth-grade mathematics scores for the two countries were studied as a function of school level variables and student level variables using Hierarchical Linear Modeling. Urban settings were found to be…

Group differences in coping style, mastery, optimism, and social resources and in patterns of change were studied with 458 rural adolescents in sixth and seventh grades grouped on the basis of indices of depression and negative life events. Different levels of coping and social resources characterized the four groups. (SLD)

This paper describes a teaching approach in which a middle school classroom teacher and a team-teacher by satellite present a course in Basic English and Reading for remedial reading students in grades 7-8. The team-teacher at Oklahoma State University is a "talking head" who teaches on television. The television portion of the course, "Reading in…

Research suggests that public schools and their authoritarian organizational structure contribute to adolescent alienation, which in turn fosters gang membership. This paper examines alienation and gang membership among eighth-graders in a rural middle school in south central Texas. All 147 students in grade 8 completed a modified version of the…

Examines technology access and use in urban, suburban, and rural schools by using data from the eighth-grade cohort of the 1988 National Educational Longitudinal Survey. Results indicate significant differences in the use of mathematics technology in school settings, and that inequalities in educational opportunity still need to be addressed. (JKP)

Noting that parent involvement in their children's schooling can improve academic performance, this report presents statistics on eighth-grade students' perceptions of parent involvement and its effect on their achievement for the school year ending in 1988. The report first highlights the findings as follows: (1) More than 80 percent of…

Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students (N=301) from a rural county in Tennessee (Iris County is a pseudonym) completed a Rural School Success Inventory (RSSI) and the Learning Styles Inventory (LSI). The study explored differences between low Socioeconomic Status (SES) students and middle/high SES students. The RSSI provided information about…