Have village schools a future? What effect does their closure have on the rest of village life? Author looks at some attempts by teachers and parents in Norfolk to save their threatened schools. (Editor/RK)

Describes Eagle (Alaska) Community School as a model of educational effectiveness resulting from a 10-year old state policy of turning control of rural schools back to regionally/locally elected boards of education. Also credits effectiveness to community support, increased administrator/teacher retention, and continuity of curriculum. (NEC)

Discusses barriers to integration of handicapped youngsters into school systems: historical legacy of special education; community attitudes; lack of trained educators; disincentives in state funding formulas. Describes regional resource centers providing technical assistance to state agencies, grants for projects on transition from school to…

A total of 144 teachers from rural and urban schools in North Dakota responded to open-ended questions related to students' behavior problems. Differences between students from rural and urban schools are described in the areas of serious behavior problems, handling behavior problems, and eliminating behavior problems. (Author/NEC)

This document contains the 10 quarterly issues of "Rural Matters: The Rural Challenge News," published from Fall 1997 to Winter 2000 (the final issue). This newsletter focused on projects funded by the Annenberg Rural Challenge, as well as research summaries and opinion pieces on the benefits of small schools, place-based education, and…

Students in rural areas need strong career guidance programs to help them overcome disadvantages related to poverty, isolation, and scarcity of occupational opportunities and role models. A survey of career guidance programs in rural schools examined three essential program components identified in national guidelines. These components are a…

A teacher intern in New South Wales (Australia) describes her experiences as a student in a small rural school, how early experience with distance education and independent learning was beneficial at university, teaching practicums in two rural schools, and her internship in a rural Aboriginal school. (SV)

This practicum paper describes a method for developing and implementing a student-discipline plan in a small, rural high school in north central Florida. The combined middle- and high-school is the poorest in the county. When corporal punishment was banned in the county and no alternatives were implemented, the number of suspensions increased. An…

The cost of providing an educational program is higher for rural, small schools and districts than for others. Nevertheless, recent studies suggest that small schools and districts may be a more efficient investment than large schools because the "learning value per unit of expenditure" seems to be greater there. This new idea expands…

Because it incorporates many of the best practices of inservice education, the use of computer/video linkage for inservice education programs in small rural schools holds great promise for improving both the method of delivery and the content of professional development activities. Studies of staff in small rural schools consistently find…

Attitudes expressed in Iowa's news media recently show a change of attitude from an urban or metropolitan slant to a more pro-rural, pro-agrarian point of view. Iowa's major daily news medium is now saying that the state's character, culture, economy, values, beliefs, and social attitudes are in jeopardy, and Iowans should have the moral and…

The Art-by-Telephone program, funded under Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, involved rural high schools in Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah. The program was designed to offer art instruction from a master teacher to students enrolled in high schools with limited financial resources. Instruction in art was provided by joining…

Presents first impressions of attitudes toward education and education facilities in China. Compares Chinese education to rural or small town education in the U. S. Describes the positive attitudes of Chinese students and the helpful involvement of parents and grandparents. (SKW)

Administrative changes were tabulated for 275 rural Kansas school districts with K-12 operations. Data covering a six-year period showed high school principals changing most frequently, followed by middle/junior high school principals, high school assistant principals, and elementary principals. Central office personnel and superintendents…

Recent college graduates (N=162), teaching in schools of 600 or fewer students, rated the importance--to success in teaching--of 45 areas of college studies. Only two areas were rated below the mid-point on the scale of importance. Oral communications, discipline, classroom management, teaching major specialty, and motivating students were rated…