Enrollment practitioners commonly discuss the effect of geographic factors on retention at rural or small-city institutions. This study examined the correlations between geographic characteristics of first-year college students' home location and their retention to the second year at a university located in a small city. The dimension of…

A lack of recent research focused on field trips as pedagogy in K-12 settings established the foundation for this work. The research design followed multiple-case case study model. The participants were four male students from a small rural high school in central Texas. Each participant, previously labeled as academically "at-risk", had…

This document contains the full text of the conference keynote address and abstracts of conference papers. The keynote address--"Excellence in Rural Education: Our Heritage and Our Future," by Duane M. Nielsen--outlines: (1) demographic changes in rural America in the 1970s and 1980s; (2) the challenges facing rural education due to increasing…

Reports results of a survey of the teacher training offerings of 56 universities in states with large rural populations. Notes that although many graduates found employment in rural schools, training programs did not always incorporate the needs of rural educators. Describes needs, implications, and suggestions for educating rural teachers. (SB)

Summarizes rural teachers' problems and needs related to teaching conditions, scarce or outdated materials and equipment, cultural differences, and geographic isolation. Demonstrates that the Foxfire approach's core practices are more effective than Miller's "core teaching skills in teacher preparation programs" in preparing teachers to…

The proceedings consist of the entire major addresses of Senator Nancy Landon Kassebaum, Steve Miller, and Walter Turner, and abbreviated versions of 29 other papers or presentations. The materials deal with a variety of rural-focused topics: women (Evelyn Hausmann); teacher career ladder plans (Paul Burden); inservice (Robert Norton, Myron…

Effective library instruction and library services in rural or small schools often depend upon the personalities of and working relationships between library personnel and the school principal. Confrontations between rural- and small-school principals and library specialists generally fall into two categories of precipitating situation: censorship…

Establishing partnerships between institutions of higher education (IHEs) and local education agencies (LEAs) is a common recommendation in the many state and national reports advocating the reform of education. The rationale for such partnerships is that collaboration can assist LEAs in their efforts for school improvement, while IHEs can more…

This paper presents the rationale for the development of an elementary teacher training program designed to prepare students to teach in rural areas. The Province of British Columbia (Canada) is a vast geographic region populated by only two and a quarter million people. Most reside in rural communities ranging in population from a few hundred to…

This paper describes the field experience of 30 undergraduate students in a teacher education program at the University of North Dakota. As part of an introductory teaching and learning course, teacher education students prepared for and taught elementary students in a small, rural school for one-day. The school enrolled 80 children in…

Describes individualized professional development activities for rural teachers based on plans developed from taking the Job Motivation Assessment Survey, analyzed by the program coordinator, and then set forth on a brief worksheet document for reference. (AH)

A questionnaire sent to organizations and programs in rural education was designed to identify institutions displaying early school artifacts. Responses were received from 19 of the 30 states surveyed. The study found 11 university or college museums that have a one-room school as part of their collection. In addition, state parks and county…

The major purpose of the Teacher Center is to improve the quality of pre-service experiences of education majors, especially of student teachers. Problems associated with supervision, staff development, and placement of student teachers can be greatly reduced through the sort of Teacher Center activities described. (Author/CM)

Most distance-education programs involve getting students in small, rural schools, or schools with limited resources, hooked up with teachers in large districts or in community colleges and universities. Schools need to keep a close eye on possible implementation problems and document results. Sidebars list six suggestions for distance teachers…

Small schools may resist educational reform because they view the implementation of change as too costly and time consuming. Formation of a consortium of small schools allows the pooling of staff and resources, thereby increasing capabilities while maintaining the positive attributes of small schools. In rural northeastern Oregon, eight small…