Given the help they want and need, families do spend time with their young children in developmentally appropriate learning activities. Following a successful experience with Family Connections 1, the Rural Excel Program at the Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL) developed a second volume of 22 colorful, four-page guides to learning, designed…

A New Mexico study interviewed 1 special education teacher and 1 administrator from each of 17 small rural school districts, via a 65-item interview guide related to staff development needs. Lack of staff development activities was identified as a critical problem for special educators. Training in instructional technology was the most frequently…

One of four programs funded nationally to test the notion that increased efficiency in the use of student and teacher time would result in higher student achievement, the Cotopaxi/Westcliffe Project was unique in that the two Colorado districts involved were small, rural, and operated on a four-day school week. The 4-year intervention consisted of…

Focuses on characteristics of rural Black families and the importance of their role in the education of handicapped children. Urges schools and teachers to understand the cultural strengths of rural Black children and use these cultural advantages to optimize the learning environment. (JHZ)

Sex equity researchers have identified four areas that demand the attention of rural and small school administrators: inadequate textbooks, student gender differences in knowledge/attitudes about women, inadequate student knowledge of and attitudes toward women in society, and messages of lack of status/importance of women found in the hidden…

There is growing consensus among educators and policy makers that the gap in academic outcomes that exists along socio-economic and racial lines is the most pressing educational challenge of the day. Given their daily work teaching in public schools in the nation's lowest-income urban and rural communities, Teach For America teachers--or "corps…

The "Read, Imagine, Decide, and Do" (RIDD) reading strategy was developed based on observations of student behaviors and reading problems while completing academic tasks. The four steps of the RIDD strategy are described. To determine its effectiveness, four elementary teachers in a rural northeastern Nebraska school taught the RIDD strategy. Each…

A survey of 85 rural and metro academics at two Australian universities found that rural faculty experienced more autonomy, cross-disciplinary stimulation, and connection to community. Rural disadvantages included professional isolation, fewer opportunities for research and advancement, and metropolitan management structures. Most of those with…

Presents study results of teaching social studies in a rural environment. Addresses size of school, teacher preparation in social studies, teacher orientation toward teaching content, and achievement scores. Concludes that teachers in rural schools have more positive opinions of their students but need additional teaching materials and inservice…

Written by library professionals in the United States and Canada, this book examines issues affecting community college librarians in urban, rural, and suburban settings. The 10 articles included in the book are: (1) "Patterns of Excellence," by Rosanne Kalick, which reviews the history of community college libraries and discusses achieving…

This study examined attitudes toward inclusive education among rural educators serving students with mild disabilities, with attention to the effectiveness of three models to promote attitude change. The three interventions assessed were a 1-day inservice meeting followed by a pilot inclusion project during the academic year; a graduate course…

West Virginia University provides on-the-job practicum experience to rural special education teachers who are pursuing certification while working on "out-of-field" permits. An important aspect of the competency-based practicum experience is evaluative feedback. Two methods of evaluative feedback were used with 22 practicum students who…

In 1989, in response to declining enrollments and the smallest average school size in the nation, North Dakota legislation provided incentive payments to consortia of four or more school districts that voluntarily collaborated in program planning and implementation. Participating districts were required to vote on a reorganization proposal after 3…

Interviews conducted with 45 public school teachers in a county school system in rural southern Appalachia explored teacher perceptions of cultural differences between Appalachian and non-Appalachian students and whether teachers born and reared in Appalachia differed in their perceptions from teachers born and reared outside the region. Teachers…

The grassroots Rural Communities Educational Cooperative (RCEC) made higher education accessible/affordable to adults in rural Appalachian communities, designed courses for competency-based rural education, and received high ratings from students and faculty. The Mountain Women's Exchange--a network of seven community organizations run by…