This position paper focuses on issues related to equal education in small, rural schools in Sweden. Specifically, the report analyzes national statistics, reports from the National Agency for Education, and other research regarding the status of education in Sweden. Data indicate that for the 1994-95 school year, two-thirds of the schools in…

Examines the special characteristics of small rural schools and stresses the importance of programs preparing teachers to teach in rural areas. Describes a program at Bishop University that provides preservice and inservice education for rural educators in Quebec. Includes additional suggestions for meeting the professional development needs of…

Six teachers from small and rural schools throughout the Northeast were selected as the 1990-91 Laboratory Fellows by the Regional Laboratory for Educational Improvement of the Northeast and Islands. These teachers were chosen for their exceptional strategies for incorporating multilevel grouping in their classrooms, grades 6-12. This publication…

In this collection, nine master teachers with extensive experience in small, rural Alaska schools describe classroom management techniques that have proven effective in their multigraded classrooms. Over half the document consists of one paper, the last in the volume, entitled "More like a School Family than Just a Teacher and His or Her…

This handbook was written to review current research on multigrade instruction, to identify key issues faced by multigrade classroom teachers, and to offer novice teachers a set of resource guides for improving instructional quality. The first chapter reviews previous research on multigrade instruction. It addresses questions regarding the effect…

Questionnaires completed by 374 teachers were used to determine differences in the instructional and noninstructional responsibilities of elementary teachers in very small, small, and medium school districts in Montana. Questions about instructional duties related to number of courses and grade levels taught, pupil/teacher ratio, teacher role in…

As part of an international comparative study of active learning in seven countries, a case study examined active learning practices of students and teachers in a small rural school in Finland. Small schools have traditionally existed in the sparsely populated Finnish countryside, and 60 percent of Finnish elementary schools have 1-3 teachers.…

In Australia, many teachers begin their careers in rural schools, a posting for which they are often ill-prepared. This book addresses the concerns of beginning teachers or other teachers about to take up rural appointments. The first chapter examines the context of rural schools, differentiates between "rural education" (education…

Examines two of the most common arguments for closing elementary schools--program and economy. Suggests that there are few program or instructional reasons for closing and that reduction of teaching staff is the most significant economic gain from closing. (LFL)

This book provides information and guidance to rural community members for improving their schools through community involvement. It encourages new ways of thinking about the purposes of education, the roles of schools, and methods of teaching and learning. After establishing the purpose and need for community involvement in rural small schools,…

Written for use in small primary schools where children of varying ages and abilities are under the guidance of one teacher and where art is frequently neglected because of teacher workloads, these lessons form a comprehensive art program. The curriculum is divided into five categories according to medium: painting and drawing, modelling, collage…

In 1973, there were 56 one- and two-room elementary schools in Prince Edward Island (Canada). As part of a descriptive survey of these schools, now closed by consolidation, researchers visited each school in 1973 and recorded details of the buildings, facilities, and school organizations. Teachers from 47 schools and their 737 students in grades…

This handbook addresses the provision of an equitable basic education in rural areas, particularly in developing countries, by means of small schools located close to the pupils' homes. It is based on beliefs that small schools can be good schools; the appropriate place for a small school and its teachers is within the community; and small schools…

Over one-half of the Finnish elementary school system has always been comprised of one to two teacher schools, and this bulletin contains two papers dealing with those small school systems. "The Finnish School System and Small Schools" by Pekka Silventoinen describes the conditions that created Finland's predominantly small school…

An innovative, flexible scheduling technique for advanced levels of a foreign language program is described. The technique, predicated on individualized pacing and continuous progress, is generalizable to all elective programs, and offers a workable solution to satisfy the enrollment "numbers game" and to lend breadth and depth to the curricula of…