Compared school readiness as understood by kindergarten teachers in 11 rural Missouri communities with results of national Carnegie study of 7,000 kindergarten teachers. Found that Missouri teachers judged their students as more ready than did the national sample, and a greater portion believed that children are more ready now than five years ago.…

The standards-driven approach to school reform, exemplified by Goals 2000, shows promise for unifying contemporary efforts by affecting change at the classroom, school, and community levels. The special aspects of the rural context, particularly distance and low population density, set it apart from the urban and suburban schools on which most…

Understanding the education agendas being promoted by state and federal politicians is critical in comprehending the factors affecting rural education. Equally important is developing an effective rural school improvement strategy that is viewed favorably by policymakers. Five areas represent the focal points of state and federal education…

This document provides a portfolio of resources for educators involved in rural school improvement. The Federal Interagency Committee on Education developed a national research and development (R&D) agenda for rural education that focuses on six themes: rural school effectiveness, curricular provisions, school-community partnerships, human…