This paper reviews the theoretical basis for educational voucher proposals, the various types of vouchers proposed, and the experience that has been had with voucher systems so far. The paper looks first at the claims made by voucher supporters that vouchers will redistribute political and economic power and simplify the administration of…

A 1985 mail survey of 97 rural schools and 53 coastal (urban/suburban) schools in Queensland, Australia, investigated teacher characteristics, problems, and needs. Respondents included 504 rural teachers, 215 rural parents, 405 coastal teachers, and 179 coastal parents. The results confirm many previous findings about teaching in rural Australia.…

Cooperation between the Appalachia Educational Laboratory, International Business Machines, and the Computer Assisted Instruction Laboratory of the Pennsylvania State University led to an attempt to provide inservice education in modern mathematics for elementary school teachers throughout Appalachia and other areas which are geographically…

Reports findings of survey of access to, attitudes towards, and knowledge about computers among 262 rural and 2,065 urban secondary students and 37 rural and 665 urban elementary/secondary educators. Shows rural students had more positive attitudes toward computers and greater access to computers. (NEC)

Two surveys were conducted to determine perceptions of administrators and teachers regarding the impact of Public Law 94-142 on programs for severely handicapped children in New Mexico's small, rural school districts. One year after the infusion of federal funding, 55 percent of the respondents perceived no improvement in the level of services.…

Special education teachers in rural and urban areas in California were asked to rate their present skill level and desired skill level for 13 bilingual special education teaching competencies. Both groups desired higher skills in all competencies, and both selected parent training skills as competencies they most desired to gain. (JHZ)

This autobiography relates the early teaching experiences of Kentucky teacher and author Jesse Stuart (1906-1984). Barely 17 years old, he first taught in a one-room, isolated rural school in eastern Kentucky for $60 a month. His 35 barefoot students in the eight grades ranged in age from 5 to 20 years. The students' passion for learning…

Jesse Stuart, poet, novelist, lecturer, teacher, principal, superintendent, educational reformer, and farmer, approached education as a calling or sacred quest. In his books he portrays the teacher as a devoted liberator and nurturer, a hero rescuing children and their families from decline, illiteracy, or economic instability. Stuart's…

Teachers in rural West Virginia who had completed a Foxfire training course reported that they involved students to a greater extent in the design and participation of learning activities, especially in the use of discussions, peer teaching, and planning units of instruction. Teachers also reported incorporation of the community in the learning…

A survey of 183 rural and nonrural science teachers in northeast Texas revealed that rural science teachers were often inexperienced, uncertified, young graduates who taught three or more class assignments in older, inadequately supplied classrooms. Both rural and nonrural teachers expressed dissatisfaction with equipment and supplies. Includes…

A survey in a rural Texas school district revealed that as many as 85% of the students in grades 6-12 drink alcohol. Students believed their drinking routines to be normal, whereas teachers and parents felt that prevalent alcohol use and abuse had definite negative effects. (LP)

A survey of 381 rural special educators indicates that computers are not well integrated in reading, spelling, or writing curricula. When students do use computers, they use them by themselves in the resource room or special classroom for reinforcement activities. Assistive devices are, for the most part, unavailable. (Author/KS)

Provides a case study on the quality of education in rural Ethiopia. Derives a measure for the quality of a school, which emphasizes responsiveness to household needs and willingness to try to attract students. Also derives a measure for teacher quality, based on teaching attitudes and behavior. (CAK)

Analyzes perceptions and attitudes of a two-way video tele-educational system between on-site students and remote-site students in elementary schools in a rural area of Korea. Concludes that instructional design and strategies should be approached separately to accommodate the different interactions involved in on-site and distance education. (AEF)

Across the country, states are pushing to close their small rural schools with the mistaken hope of saving money, in spite of overwhelming evidence that smaller schools are beneficial for students, and that they frequently function as the glue that binds together small communities, serving as their economic and social hub. The battle is even more…