Observes that the United Kingdom's National Curriculum pressures primary teachers to change their teaching methods, but research shows equivocal results. Argues that the problem stems from the way characteristics of classroom organization have been defined in various studies. Reports on nine case studies of change in rural primary schools. (DSK)

Presents a critical review of Paul Theobald's work, "Call School: Rural Education in the Middle West to 1918." The author discusses Theobald's observations on class formation and migration; his assessment of school boards, teachers, and teaching methods; and his revisionist reading of the Country Life Movement and rural education at the…

The findings reported in this article form part of a wider comparative research project investigating the active learning of teachers and of pupils in the educational practices of eight countries. This article aims to describe what a small rural school in Finland understands by active learning. Data is presented from a qualitative research case…

Understanding and appreciating other cultures has long been a goal of many early childhood education programs. Yet, helping children develop an understanding and appreciation of other cultures is not easily achieved. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of fairytales and storytelling with young children to promote cultural…

The purpose of this 1949 book is to summarize the beliefs of the education division of the United States Indian Service and to present summarized statements of the educational objectives and teaching practices of Alaska and the 15 states where the Indian Service operates schools. Part I answers such questions as how public schools are changing;…

This paper provides a framework for thinking about origami construction and constructivism. In an attempt to understand the conceptual and theoretical framework supporting the field of inclusive teaching strategies in relationship to origami, I have prepared a model for origami which represents six types of constructive learning: (1) Hands-on…

Children enter grade 1 at an island school in Kosrae, Micronesia with a rich oral language and very little experience with print. One of the main tasks of teachers is to help children become literate. However, the literacy and assessment practices in this early grade classroom are limited and unquestioned. In determining how best to teach early…

This practicum was designed to train inexperienced teachers in the basics of computer technology, multimedia, authoring, and networking. The goals were to enable teachers with access to computers in the educational setting for the first time to utilize this technology as an instructional strategy and as a management tool. Six teachers were…

This book is a collection of stories from secondary school educators who have included students with disabilities in their classrooms. It profiles inclusive school systems in urban, suburban, and rural communities across the nation, and describes strategies teachers have used to successfully include all students. Specific chapters include: (1)…

Based on the writings and research of Mary Anne Raywid (1994) and Gary Wehlage (1989), this study sought to identify characteristics of effective alternative high schools in Iowa. This effectiveness was identified as both student retention and graduate completion. The following characteristics were not positively related to graduate completion…

Rural schools, like others in the nation, are enjoined to use national and state standards as the basis for educational reform. Moreover, national standards for mathematics education were established early (1989) and have been disseminated widely. Nevertheless, little is known about the dynamics of standards-based reform of mathematics in rural…

The recent release of the National Science Education Standards and the previous release of Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy have initiated science education reform at the state, district, and local school levels. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which a group of science teachers, administrators, and a curriculum…

This article proposes the use of special education knowledge within a general education framework. Research on federal policies to achieve educational equity has shown that special education policies have created elements of an unequal educational system. Rural educators need to move beyond "special education" in rural settings, to address the…

In an effort to determine differences between the reading scores of students taught by a traditional basal approach and a more structured direct instruction approach, 31 problem readers from two first grade classrooms in a low income Southeastern rural community were examined and tested over a year-long period. The two groups were found to be…

THIS PROJECT WAS DEVELOPED TO SHOW WHAT EFFECT THE SERVICES OF A RESEARCH TEACHER FOR EDUCABLE MENTALLY RETARDED PUPILS 1 DAY A WEEK WOULD HAVE ON THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND SOCIAL MATURITY OF THESE CHILDREN AND TO DETERMINE IF SUCH A PROGRAM IS FINANCIALLY PRACTICABLE FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES. THE EFFECT OF SUCH A PROGRAM ON THE INSERVICE TRAINING…