Graphs, data tables, maps, and written descriptions give a statistical overview of rural Pennsylvania. A section on rural demographics covers population changes, racial and ethnic makeup, age cohorts, and families and income. Pennsylvania's rural population, the nation's largest, has increased more than its urban population since 1950, with the…

Suggests that equitable funding for public schools can help effectively reduce disparities in socio-economic conditions between urban and rural areas. Advocates the earmarking of a greater portion of general revenue sharing funds. Available from: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Rm. 456 GHI Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20250. (JD)

A study examining the role of metropolitan and rural medical schools in the provision of rural physicians surveyed 12 metropolitan and 10 rural medical schools in China. All rural medical schools produced rural physicians; one rural school reported 88 graduates entered rural practice. Two metropolitan medical schools produced 73 rural physicians,…

Examines the condition of human resources in the rural South, particularly educational attainment, outmigration, illiteracy, and quality of rural schools. Discusses strategies for the development of human resources in the 1990s involving local, state, and federal governments and the role of rural sociologists. Contains 40 references. (Author/SV)

Examines the social construction of literacy in China after the Communist revolution, demonstrating that official literacy ideologies contributed to the formation and reproduction of rural-urban differences in Chinese society. Suggests that the spread of literacy potentially can contribute to greater and more elaborate social divisions. (24…

Offers an overview of contemporary problems facing rural areas and challenges for rural community colleges in addressing these issues. Argues that the divide between rural and urban needs must be bridged and that rural community colleges have a central role as educational providers and community organizational leaders. (MAB)

A survey of 93 speech-language pathologists in Washington state found significant differences between rural and urban settings for amounts and types of continuing education, contact with peers, and plans for changing job settings, but found similarities for time spent in direct services, number of students served, contact with supervisors, and job…

Washington statewide data indicate that attrition rates did not differ between rural and urban special educators, but were twice as high for rural special educators as general educators. Interviews with special educators focus on soaring rural special education enrollments and difficulties in rural teacher recruitment. Contains 23 references. (SV)

Citizens in rural Nebraska filed a lawsuit challenging the reliance on local property taxes for school funding that has led to inequities between rural and urban schools. One answer may be to give smaller school districts more money through a state system of taxation and equalization aid to improve school standards. (LP)

A survey of 53 obstetrical and rural fellowship programs found that graduates of rural health fellowships were more likely to locate in rural areas. Almost all graduates from obstetrical and rural health programs attained general hospital privileges in family practice and low-risk obstetrics, and a significant number attained privileges in…

This collection of essays attempts to describe the status and role of the rural community college in higher education, highlighting the special challenges faced by these institutions. The following articles are included: (1) "Opening the Shutter," by James R. Valadez and Jim Killacky; (2) "The Comprehensive Mission of the Rural Community College,"…

This paper addresses philosophical and ethical issues regarding school-to-work issues in public education. The purpose of school-to-work programs is to help students obtain employment. This paper asserts that schools should prepare students for work, but the concept of "work" entails much more than just securing employment.…

This study tests the hypothesis that the local labor market structure, particularly the proportions of high- and low-paying occupations, affects human capital investment. Most studies have assumed that the direction of causation flows from the supply of human capital to employment growth. However, the creation of low-skilled jobs merely reshuffles…

This paper theorizes on the pattern in which investment in human capital affects the well-being of the rural community and is affected by public policy on education finding. Outmigration from rural regions is more likely for individuals with the highest educational achievement. Therefore, remote school districts tend to underinvest in education.…

In Kentucky, 105 of 178 school districts, or 59%, are classified as rural. State law and administrative regulations presume that most school districts are both rural and isolated. The environment for rural schools in the state is heavily influenced by the fact that the majority of school districts are rural. Each school district must have a…