Rural life is more complex than it is perhaps credited. This edited volume explores several themes that highlight such complexities, particularly in terms of what they imply for rural teaching and learning. These themes include the geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic diversity within and across rural communities; the notion that rurality is…

In this paper I focus on the problems that face (teacher) education policy and practice in meeting the challenge of 'persistent and entrenched locational disadvantage' in marginal communities. In "Dropping off the Edge 2015," Tony Vinson and colleagues (2015) clearly demonstrate that complex and entrenched disadvantage has continued to…

High-poverty schools in rural areas and small towns are under attack from state policy makers who want to consolidate these schools in order to save money. In addition to calls for consolidation, rural schools also are threatened by unfair and inadequate funding formulas.

As part of the Community and Environment in Rural America (CERA) initiative, the Carsey Institute has been investigating broad trends between rural community types, including the education level of residents and their parents. Since 2007, Carsey researchers have conducted over 17,000 telephone surveys with randomly selected adult Americans from…

The consolidation of rural schools in the United States has been a controversial topic for policy-makers, school administrators, and rural communities since the 1800s. At issue in the consolidation movement have been concerns of efficiency, economics, student achievement, school size, and community identity. Throughout the history of schooling in…

The goal of small towns should be to foster continual connections between people who help rural communities prosper and students who play an integral role in that community. Schools can educate their children about the positive aspects of growing up in the country and teachers can encourage students to help diminish the sense of inferiority and…

The theme of this conference was "Rural Life in '65'." This document describes the social conditions and cultural features of America's rural community in 1960's. The following papers were presented: (1) "Rural Education in '65" (Lois M. Clark); (2) "The Rural Church in 1965" (M. J. Taves); (3) "The Farm in…

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…

The traditional conception of rural as homogeneously agricultural has become archaic. This paper reviews definitions of rural diversity related to rural special education and proposes a broad definition based upon culture of community and region. In the late 1970s, the National Rural Project identified "problems" in rural special…

An effective teaching technique for a university extension course for rural special education teachers is the respond/read/replicate/report system. The four-step system was developed to stimulate tired, beleaguered teachers with differing experiences, knowledgeability, and teaching/learning styles who drove up to 60 miles on country roads to…

This report describes the Colorado Rural Revitalization Project (CRRP) and the participant rural communities between 1988-1991. The CRRP, established in 1988, consists of a partnership among rural Colorado communities, Colorado State University, the University of Colorado, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.…

During the 1969-70 school year, a follow-up program was conducted for participants of the summer 1969 institute on Teaching Alaskan Native Youth. On-site seminars and individual conferences were conducted with 20 teachers and aides (serving in 16 rural Alaskan communities in which the predominant first language is Yupik, Inupik, or Athabascan) to…

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…

Describes rural education in terms of its traditional values, characteristics, most persistent problem (recruiting and retaining qualified teachers), and ultimate challenge. (Author/AH)

Discusses semantic complexities rampant in attempts to define rurality. Examines environmental and economic aspects of rurality and impacts on education. Proposes a definition of rurality based on five human considerations: approximate geographic divisions, level of access to community services, industry type, population makeup, and the…