This paper offers some of the first empirical research into the actual conditions affecting learning in one-teacher schools. It examined four central issues: the breadth and quality of the curriculum, patterns of friendship, economic constraints, and the importance of the school in the social life of the community. (Author/RK)

This study was designed to correct misperceptions many Americans have concerning one-room schools and Old Order Mennonite and Amish education in the United States. It was also intended to quantify the number of U.S. public and private one-room schools. The paper briefly reviews the history of Amish and Old Order Mennonite schools. Recent research…

Oral history plays a vital role in accurate preservation of the rural school experience and the actual restoration of some of the country's 212,000 one-room school buildings. Oral histories provide valuable, first-hand information on who taught in and who attended one-room schools, what the curriculum included, what the building looked like, and…

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…

Explores departmental-policy implementation challenges faced by Australian principals of one-teacher schools during a time of unprecedented structural and organizational change, highlighting international contextual influences on the nation's public sector. Over a five-year period, senior management's relationship to principals implementing policy…

Three surveys deal with the architectural aspects of country schools in eastern, western and northeastern Kansas. Although country schools of the late 1800's and early 1900's often sprang up before there were pupils to attend them, the surveys reveal that many early schools were 3-month subscription schools which generally did not have their own…

Part of a larger study of cross-age interaction in one-room schools, this study examined the extent and characteristics of peer tutoring in contemporary one-teacher schools. Since Nebraska had more one-teacher schools (626 in 1971-72) than any other state, 110 one-room schools with an enrollment of 10 or more students in grades 1 through 6 or 8…

Based upon data derived from U.S. Office of Education biennial reports, this pamphlet presents statistical information on the changing status of the one-teacher school (1918-36) for purposes of determining the extent to which these schools have been eliminated, the rate of that elimination in recent years, and the trends of the future.…

The status of one-teacher schools in 1959 is described in this nationwide study by the National Education Association. Information for the study was gathered from 2,376 one-teacher schools in the 48 states (Alaska and Hawaii were not included), and data obtained from a 52-item questionnaire are grouped into 6 sections: (1) number of one-teacher…

In Montana, there are 151 small rural schools that constitute elementary independent districts with either a supervising teacher or a teaching principal as the head of the school. In fall 1998, a survey of all 151 schools examined enrollments, budgets, staff, salaries, and benefits. Enrollments ranged from 2 to 174 students; 83 schools had fewer…

The article discusses the educational situation in Queensland and offers an alternative to the present open education plan. It suggests: that traditional education is appropriate for teaching basic skills, as in specific areas of mathematics where one level of mastery may depend on certain knowledge at a lower level; that curricula which are…

This paper reports a study of curriculum and teaching methods in 10 Old Order Mennonite one-room schools in Pennsylvania. It provides a review of the historical background and cultural characteristics of the Old Order Mennonites. The one-room schools examined in the study are similar in structure and instruction to U.S. public one-room schools of…

A historical case study is presented of the creation of elementary schools for the nomadic tribes of Fars Province in southern Iran (Persia). A brief historical review of the educational opportunities and socioeconomic background of the Fars tribes is given. Additionally, the gradual expansion of the impact of bringing education to the previously…

At the turn of the century, over 200,000 one-room schools existed in the United States. These simple, vernacular buildings represented the nation's commitment to education and were also the center of community life. The country school continues to be a powerful cultural symbol. This book consists of three parts. The first section describes country…

This paper provides a history of early public schools in two Iowa townships. Townships are six by six mile areas of land that were established as the result of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. The civil townships of Bennington and Cedar Falls were part of 17 townships located in Black Hawk County, Iowa. The Northwest Ordinance specified that the…