The amount of legislation enacted for the improvement of school conditions during the past five years is one of the evidences that education is rising to higher levels. Better schools imply definite things--better buildings, trained teachers, a longer period of attendance, and new methods of school procedure. However, these cannot be had without…

The most conspicuous and pertinent tendency in rural education in the biennium is that toward better understanding of and intelligent accomplishment in the direction of more equitable distribution of school opportunities and school expense burdens. Rural education is still the weak spot in the American educational system. The passing of the…

Academic achievement under a four-day school week is compared to the traditional five-day school week. Test scores from the CAT [California Achievement Test], ITBS [Iowa Test of Basic Skills], TASK [Stanford Test of Academic Skills], SAT [Stanford Achievement Test], TAP [Tests of Academic Proficiency], and MAT [Metropolitan Achievement Test] were…

The committee on teachers' salaries and cost of living of the National Educational Association deems itself fortunate in securing the cooperation of the Bureau of Education of the United States in publishing this bulletin on the actual salaries paid to teachers in elementary, secondary, and higher grades in all parts of the United States. It was…

Recounts the success story of the Chekan Agrarian School in Izhevsk, Russia. Through a number of commercial activities, the school earns money not only to pay for program development, but also to provide for its students to go on to higher education. Unfortunately, few schools follow this example. (MJP)

Examines differences in democratic behavior of children of different gender and ethnicity attending traditional rural primary schools and those attending rural schools with experimental active learning programs. Shows children in active learning programs engage in more democratic behaviors. Relates this to small group activities. Notes this leads…

Reports a study of "Reach for the Sky," a telecommunications project offering rural teachers access to the Internet and online courses. Teachers received Internet training, then became mentors for other teachers enrolled in online courses. Interviews and analysis of e-mail messages highlighted lessons learned about mentoring and online…

This article describes the Southwestern Cardiovascular Curriculum, a school-based, culturally relevant curriculum designed to prevent tobacco use and promote a good diet. Comparisons of American Indian students in participating and nonparticipating schools indicated that participants had significant increases in knowledge, better diets, increased…

Identifies the need for educational reformers to address the psychological problems of low-income urban and rural minority students. It is argued that the educational reform movement must be much more proactive in using the existing knowledge base of counseling and psychological support services personnel. (SLD)

This study aimed at establishing if the level of performance of 500 Jamaican Grade 11 students on an achievement test on the concept of respiration was satisfactory (mean = 28 or 70% and above) or not (less than 70%); if there were statistically significant differences in their performance on the concept linked to their gender, cognitive abilities…

In an effort to increase the knowledge about professional development programs that promote strong instructional leaders, the Wallace Foundation recently commissioned a study of innovative principal professional development programs and the policy and funding mechanisms that support them. In fall 2003, the foundation awarded a grant to a team of…

This paper explores changes needed in the focus and commitment of educational research to better reflect issues relevant to rural schools and their communities. Historically, educational researchers have focused on national or cosmopolitan concerns in efforts to develop widely applicable procedures for school improvement. However, improving rural…

A study was conducted to determine the status of Internet access and usage in selected rural schools of northeast Alabama, and to contribute to an ongoing database that describes Internet access and usage in rural schools as a benchmark for future study. A 28-item survey of 107 teachers and media specialists in 18 selected rural schools in…

First-year physical educators may abandon the goals promoted in teacher education programs and face "reality shock" in the workplace called school. This case study examines the perceptions of Mr. Miller, a beginning physical education teacher with no formal induction program available to him, and the effect of school culture on his…

Levels of achievement and participation in both school mathematics and school science remain unacceptable throughout most of the nation. Addressing these concerns has unique and specific ramifications for small rural schools, particularly with respect to the economic aspects of providing the materials and manipulatives necessary for hands-on…