In Kayenta Unified School District (KUSD) on the Navajo Reservation, 92 percent of students come from homes where Navajo is the primary language, but many students entering school are not fluent in either English or Navajo. A survey of 23 educators examined the effects of language and culture on the likelihood that a student would be placed in…

A study examining collaboration between two small rural school districts in Kansas found that school boards and superintendents from both districts encouraged and supported continuous collaboration, that collaboration supported more comprehensive curricular and extracurricular programs, and that collaboration allowed districts to maintain their…

Interviews with parent, students, and teachers in rural Swaziland found that, as in colonial times, parents felt alienated from the school as an institution. Although national policymakers were pushing for stronger technical education, parents strongly desired academic education to prepare their children for professional employment and felt that…

A survey of home-schooling parents and staff associated with the Longreach School of Distance Education in a remote area of Queensland (Australia) examined attitudes about the importance of drama and visual arts education. The majority of parents valued their children's participation in the arts and would like to see more arts education included…

This study explored video technology as a tool to overcome problems of distance, cost, and shortage of presenters hindering the professional development of rural science teachers. A qualitative design was used to collect data on how 4 teachers responded to 10 videotaped vignettes of science instruction. The 4-minute vignettes showed urban teachers…

Teachers, administrators, and counselors throughout South Carolina were randomly surveyed to evaluate attitudes toward inclusion. One hundred administrators, 125 counselors, and 342 teachers responded. Philosophically, over half of counselors and teachers believed that students with special needs have a basic right to be taught in the general…

Rural counties are among both the most and the least ethnically diverse, conditions that offer different but equally compelling rationales for multicultural education. Diverse communities need to acknowledge their cultural wealth, creating community structures that respect differences and build on the strengths of each culture. Homogeneous…

This paper begins by relating the experiences of a beginning special education teacher in a small school in rural Montana. He soon became frustrated as he lacked the skills required for collaborating with other teachers, students, parents, and the community. Small rural schools have difficulty in recruiting and retaining qualified special…

From September 1989 to August 1992, 151 intern-teachers participated in an alternative credential program to recruit, train, and support special education teachers in rural northeast California. Directed by California State University, Chico, in collaboration with school districts in its service area, the 2-year program was designed to alleviate…

A survey directed to all teachers who graduated with a Diploma of Teaching from Nedlands College of Advanced Education (Western Australia) in 1976-1977 and who had completed at least one year of teaching incorporated four basic aims: (1) to ascertain the number of teachers who had students with different cultural backgrounds; (2) to identify the…

A survey of students earning special education degrees in 1985 addressed job satisfaction, teacher-training program evaluation, and job stress factors. Of the 54 respondents, 88 percent found special education to be a personally satisfying career, but 48 percent said they would select another profession if given the opportunity to begin again.…

Questionnaires mailed to a sample of teachers, students, and parents in Western Australia and Northwestern Ontario (Canada) were used to study the effects of isolation on rural education. Although the geographical distance may permeate all aspects of isolation, three discrete types of isolation emerged from the responses--social, cultural, and…

This report evaluates the outcomes and cost effectiveness of adult literacy programs in Ugandan villages and compares government programs with those provided by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Part 1 describes evaluation objectives, government and NGO literacy programs and the rural socioeconomic context, and evaluation design. About 100…

Teachers, students, and parents surveyed in a rural school district regarded elementary physical education programs as important but inadequate. A university-school collaboration assisted classroom teachers in redesigning the physical education curriculum and included consultation services in the form of school visitations and follow-up inservice…

Surveys, interviews, and observations were carried out at six remote Alaska village schools to explore perceptions and experiences of teachers and aides related to inclusionary practices for students with disabilities. Findings focus on personal stories affecting participants' perceptions, barriers and supports for inclusionary practices, and the…