The majority of the still limited literature on education in non-metropolitan areas adopts an understanding of rurality as a fixed and known geographic entity. This paper departs from such a functionalist perspective to explore how rurality is constructed in a programme for at-risk teenagers in remote Australia. Drawing on a range of texts about…

In 2004, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania contracted with Pennsylvania State University to begin a longitudinal study of rural Pennsylvania school students to understand their educational and career aspirations and the factors influencing their aspirations, whether their plans change as they age and if they attain their goals. In its entirety,…

There are many ways in which children and youth can become at risk. This article presents a taxonomy of conditions that may contribute to students being "at risk" in rural areas. (JOW)

Between 2001 and 2005, the state of Maine shifted the focus of its statewide high school improvement efforts to include an explicit focus on adolescent literacy. One trigger for that change in focus was a 5-school adolescent literacy initiative previously launched in a rural county under the federal Northeast and Islands Regional Educational…

Based in rural northern Orange County (North Carolina), the Adolescents-in-Need Project began in 1981 as a joint effort of the school district, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, and community agencies. Project goals focused on preventing untimely events in the lives of teenagers, and included helping adolescents…

With the ultimate goal of articulating a research agenda, a November 1999 conference of researchers and educators examined the educational, social, and economic factors affecting rural adolescents' transition to the workforce. The first section of this white paper discusses the need to clarify research questions about adolescence to include a…

Discusses school sex education programs with regard to prevention of AIDS/HIV infection among adolescents. Outlines problems and success factors of teen sex education programs. Considers why teenage sex is common and why sex education, in isolation, is not a deterrent. Describes specific rural problems and approaches. Contains 22 references. (SV)

Individuals with disabilities have been identified as one of the nation's largest populations at risk for drug use. Recent studies indicate a higher rate for alcohol and drug use among the disabled population than the general population. In an effort to identify drug use among rural disabled students, data were collected from students ages 12-18…

This document reviews problems related to sexual activity among rural U.S. teenagers, successes and failures of teen sex education programs, and problems and needs specific to rural areas. In a recent poll, 89% of adults favored sex education in the schools and 73% supported making birth control information and contraceptives available in school…

Although rural Texas residents have some access to medical care, it is often limited by poverty, lack of health insurance or coverage under public programs, cultural barriers, racial discrimination, and limited education. It is inaccurate to say that rural residents receive health care if health is defined in terms of environmental, physical,…

The present study, "Mapping Rural Adolescent Girl's Participation in Residential Non- Formal Education Program--A Study in Lunkaransar Block, Rajasthan", was an attempt to understand the dimensions of rural adolescent girls' participation in the "Balika Shivir" Program. It is a six month residential non-formal education program…

Although there exists in the minds of urban Texans the myth that rural life is especially healthy, in fact the mental and physical health of rural Texans is markedly worse than that of urban Texans. If health is defined in terms of environmental, physical, mental, and social factors, it is inaccurate to say that rural residents are receiving…

Examines the issue of equality of opportunity and social mobility in terms of differences between urban and rural young people in South-Western Nigeria, focusing particularly on those handicaps associated with female disadvantage. Reports results of interviews with 359 rural and urban female secondary school students. (JHZ)

This study examined community adults' conceptions of successful early adult outcomes for rural African American adolescents from 2 low-resource communities in the Deep South. Focus groups were conducted with parents, teachers, and community leaders. Parents also completed semistructured phone interviews. The focus groups identified 2 general types…

The size of Texas and the distribution of its population result in service delivery, economic, educational, transportation, communication, and health problems. Texas is the second largest state in the nation, is third largest in population, has a population growing at a faster rate than the national average, and is a primarily rural state--20% of…