Intended as a guidebook for middle level educators as they seek to institute educational experiences appropriate to the adolescents in their programs, this book discusses the issues and assets of middle school education in rural settings. Chapter 1 of the book is an introduction, discussing the concept of middle school as applied to small rural…

This paper describes how Clive School, a small rural K-9 school in Alberta (Canada), used a team teaching approach and the best practices of staff development to facilitate the inclusion of special needs students into general education classrooms. Since September 1989, the staff at Clive School have been involved in developing their school into a…

In a rural Washington school district 60 percent of teachers and administrators have completed a course on collaboration as part of a key effort to bring a collaborative culture to their schools. This course was one part of a change effort that included development of School Advisory Committees where teachers and administrators made significant…

The school of education at Indiana University Southeast (IUS) adopted a program to incorporate technology into preservice teacher education and practicum training. Students in the program were nontraditional undergraduate junior and senior level elementary education majors. Students enrolled in a team-taught, 6-semester-hour block of Language…

This report addresses issues related to the responsibility of public schools to prepare rural youth for life choices about careers, postsecondary education, and place of residence. A synthesis of current research literature, as well as the perceptions of rural educators and policymakers in the Northwest, explore some potential resolutions to the…

This report summarizes a study conducted during 1993-94 evaluating rural secondary education in Alaska. The six components of the study included: (1) a survey of boarding school graduates concerning how well their educational experience prepared them for college, trade school, and employment; (2) a telephone survey of 800 rural households…

"Snapshot '97," the 10th edition of this publication, provides information about students, student performance, staffing, and the financing of Texas public school districts. This annual summary is a useful source of information for anyone interested in the demographics of Texas schools, the resources available, and the improvements that…

This report presents results from Phase 2 of an ongoing Utah State Office of Education project titled "Preliminary Study of Proficiency Based Credit Testing in Utah Public Schools." Proficiency-based credit assessment (PBCA) means awarding secondary school academic credit to students considered proficient in the area without having taken…

Northwest Guilford High School, Guilford County (North Carolina), is an essentially rural, largely white school that serves about 1,200 students from all socioeconomic levels. An evaluation was conducted of a heterogeneous grouping project involving students in a 2-year sequence of algebra for those who scored below the 40th percentile on a…

Law-related education (LRE) has been shown to produce positive changes in student attitudes toward school, parents, the police, and deviant behavior. Project NEXUS, a rural Appalachian program designed to address dropout prevention and predelinquent factors, was implemented in Ellijay (Georgia) Middle School. A group of 25 students, chosen because…

Rural schools can help solve their special education problems by using advanced technology to provide instructional support (computer managed instruction, satellite television, library searches, resource networks, on-line testing), instructional applications (computer assisted instruction, reading machines, mobile vans, instructional television),…

A review of partial results of a survey of 265 rural schools in the North Central Association's 9 westernmost states revealed interesting trends in the characteristics of rural school personnel. Among the 192 teachers, 43 principals, and 46 school board members responding to the survey, women held fewer leadership positions than men, who held 91%…

Comparisons between 35 small/rural K-12 Kansas school districts (900 students or fewer) and 642 similar districts nationwide use data gathered during 1982-83. Qualifying Kansas districts (208, enrolling 95,466 students) were identified, to be compared to 4,125 qualifying districts nationwide. A questionnaire mailed to superintendents of 36…

A 1982-83 survey produced data used to compare 17 small/rural K-12 New Mexico school districts (900 students or fewer) with 642 similar districts nationwide. Of New Mexico's 88 school districts, 43 were identified as qualifying (48.9%, enrolling 16,648 students), for comparison to 4,125 similar districts nationwide. A questionnaire mailed to…

A paper by the American Council on Rural Special Education formally requests that the National Commission on Excellence in Education recognize the differences between rural and non-rural schools and provide appropriately different strategies for implementing Commission recommendations. Factors of rural schools which should be considered by…