Rural and urban family literacy programs share similar challenges in helping families work through obstacles to participation, such as transportation and childcare. However, the scope and nature of these challenges and the program management strategies to deal with them differ in rural and urban settings. Some of the most creative solutions to…

Rural America is undergoing rapid and confusing change which impacts on the role of rural health educators and practitioners. Although rural life has been romanticized, rural areas have emergencies and accidents remote from professional assistance, occupational diseases, high infant and maternal mortality rates, and the same high incidence of…

Summarizes the nature of service delivery systems in non-metropolitan communities and identifies four community/delivery system types: small city, small town, rural community, and reservation community. Identifies areas warranting further study, e.g., the reservation community, the informal functioning of helping systems, and the coordination of…

Although rural children with mild or moderate handicaps have been integrated into the regular classroom, children with severe or low-incidence handicaps continue to be underserved by rural schools. Traditional service delivery models are inadequate in rural areas where many levels of the traditional service continuum and adequate staff and funding…

To examine what changes occurred in the acute health care delivery systems of rural Texas energy impact communities from 1978 to 1983, a retrospective survey was used to acquire data from which a database could be generated that could provide information for community and state policy decisions. From a pool of communities chosen by a panel of…

Child development happens within the social, cultural, political, environmental, and economic contexts of a particular place, but researchers and policy makers describe best practice in the field as if one size fits all. An early interventionist's experience illustrates how ruralness and community characteristics impact practice. Collaboration…

The rural special education context is unique because of the distinct environment and the variety of rural school subcultures. However, little information about rural special education is available prior to the late 1970's, partially because federal agencies lacked a working definition of "rural." Although rural and urban special…

A questionnaire distributed to part-time recreation directors in Wisconsin identified training needs and formed the basis for this manual. The workbook-like format was designed to facilitate self-directed study by recreation directors. The first chapter summarizes the results of the questionnaire and presents statistical data, noting the…

Participants in a symposium concerned with issues affecting rural New York State identified strengths and weaknesses and suggested policy in relation to three broad goals in the area of human services and community life: (1) increase community awareness of problems affecting rural localities, including the causes and effects of crime, violence,…

Rural school districts face nearly insurmountable obstacles to implementing the comprehensive special education programs mandated by PL 94-142, Education for All Handicapped Children Act. In order to identify workable strategies for rural special education delivery, a survey was conducted among state and local education agencies in 19 states…

Of potential interest to small towns in rural areas, this report describes England's first attempt at applying to a rural area the concept of a multi-agency information and advice center based on a library. The comprehensive review covers all phases of the project: (1) identification of a community's information and advice needs; (2) consultation…

Strategies and techniques for developing community-based programs for mentally retarded persons in rural areas must take into consideration local circumstances, resources, and characteristics. Rural norms such as overt racial segregation, social conformity, the importance of church, and the stigma of obtaining human services for personal problems…