The problem that was addressed in this study was that the teacher evaluation system in a small rural public school in Northern California needed to be examined for teacher effectiveness. This was important to identify perceptions of administration and teachers who stated concern about the effectiveness of the district's teacher evaluation system.…

Principals need support throughout their careers in order to lead effectively and promote continuous improvement. However, some elementary school principals of small, rural schools lack access to structured systems of support that could increase their knowledge and skills as instructional leaders. The purpose of this study was to examine a central…

How can a community ensure that its public schools reflect local values and beliefs about education? The complexities involved in the reform of existing public schools, or the creation of a new system of schooling, have caused some researchers to explore new methodological avenues to change (Banathy, 1991; Duffy, Rogerson, & Blick, 2000;…

This report identifies and analyzes legal, regulatory, and policy barriers to redesigning high schools in California. In an effort to identify legal, regulatory, and policy barriers to the creation and successful operation of redesigned high schools in California, the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) staff interviewed high school…

In a study of student and school sources of cultural and social capital, small rural high schools were found to prepare college-eligible Hispanic high school students in greater proportions than large urban high schools. (Author)

Designed to help educators and policymakers consider the effective use of currently-evolving distance learning technologies, this policy brief examines: (1) the need for distance learning; (2) the most promising combinations of technologies (two-way television, one-way television with audio return, and audiographics); (3) the cost-effectiveness of…

The needs of rural teachers differ significantly from those of teachers who begin their careers in urban and suburban districts, where staff and resources are more plentiful. Significant problems exist in finding and retaining rural teachers. This paper presents findings of a 1988 survey of 256 small or rural schools in four Southern California…

This report profiles the condition of education in California's rural and small schools, placing public schooling and rurality into their social and economic contexts. The data focus on three issues: (1) the economic and social environments in which schools operate; (2) characteristics of rural schools, students, and teachers; and (3)…

Maintains that rural school reform in California between 1900 and 1940 was motivated by many of the same concerns that underlay the national movement to reform rural education. Describes the growth of state control over classroom teachers. (CFR)

The handbook provides a model for beginning and operating programs for talented/gifted students in rural schools, K-12, based on a program developed in Shasta County, California, in 1976-77 and disseminated nationwide in 1978-79. The model produces individualized programs planned by a committee composed of the student, classroom teacher(s),…

The county education office of Mendocino County, California, serving nine school districts and 11,800 elementary and secondary students, began planning for computers in 1979-1980, purchased two central computers, and by 1983 had one computer or terminal for every 40 students in the county. The county was characterized by its very enthusiastic…

Information was obtained from staffs of selected schools, from samples of eighth and twelfth grade students, and from group interviews with community representatives and school leaders for the purpose of detecting the inadequacies and shortcomings of California schools in a three-county region. Problems emerged in the areas of curriculum balance…