Adequate yearly progress (AYP) on No Child Left Behind criteria was examined for a randomly selected sample of districts that qualify for the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP). The sample involved 10% of districts that were eligible for the Small Rural Schools Achievement (SRSA) program and 10% that were eligible for the Rural and…

Based on an ethnographic case study done in an all-white, rural middle school, this article examines the students' experience with and interpretation of an international education program implemented with a hope of providing more global/international contents to the curriculum. The study shows that these students interpreted other cultures…

Inverness Research studied the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) Seminars on Science program for eight years, from its inception in 1998 to 2006. In 2008, Inverness Research conducted additional studies of the AMNH's new online course, "Evolution". This paper presents teacher survey ratings for "Evolution", along with…

The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) is pleased to release its fifth annual National Trends Report on the use of federal funds to support educational technology. This report documents findings from Round 5 (FY 06) of the No Child Left Behind, Title II, Part D, Enhancing Education Through Technology (NCLB IID) program. The…

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…

A Texas project developed a model distance learning program for a Health Care Science course. It determined the feasibility of using a distance learning delivery system for providing small rural districts with additional vocational education options. Activities included advisory committee selection, course development and support material…

A review of five studies by the National Rural Project determined the impact of educational collaboratives on rural special education, including types of educational collaboratives, variations within collaborative structures, benefits of collaboratives for rural special education, problems related to regional service delivery structures, and…

Ten innovative rural school programs are briefly described. Included are North Dakota's Mott School District #6 (316 students), which cooperates in a Multi-District Vocational Mobile Program bringing vocational education opportunities to isolated, rural students; Washington's Liberty School District (180 secondary students), where supervised…

The trends in post-industrial society toward decentralization, diversity, and individualization, with emphasis on synthesis rather than analysis, require educators who are more flexible, adaptable, and capable of managing diversity; this can prove advantageous to small and rural schools, which have long been using such a philosophy. Educators will…

An annotated bibliography lists publications, films, slides, and tapes issued by Washington State University's Partnership for Rural Improvement (PRI) between 1976 and 1983. A section covering educational materials lists 10 guides, reports and case studies; 1 film; 1 slide presentation; 3 video cassettes/tapes; and 7 audio tapes. Subjects dealt…

Addressing the concerns and resources of small, rural school districts, this book sets out a rationale and model plan for school-community relations. After introductory material and a review of what's been done, the first major section lists and describes 10 criteria shown by research to be most important for a small school district community…

A mediated peer coaching program implemented in rural Middle Tennessee in 1984-85 was designed to improve classroom instruction within the constraints imposed by poor, rural schools. Participants were 35 teachers in 9 rural schools, each assigned to a peer coaching team consisting of teachers in the same school but with different grade and/or…