Analysis of data from the National Education Longitudinal Study supported the thesis that rural adolescents' disadvantages with regard to certain family and school resources and resulting low investments in education explain rural deficits in both educational attainment and standardized achievement. (Contains 67 references.) (Author/SV)

A study trained 14 high school students to interview 220 rural West Virginia students in grades 7-10 about their social service needs and their delivery preferences. Results indicate that large numbers of rural students were perceived by their peers as having major social and emotional problems yet little knowledge of human service professionals.…

Youth First conducted focus groups and participatory "youth tribunals" across New Zealand, examining experiences of growing up rural. Common themes included "not being listened to," exclusion from citizen participation, and anxiety about the future. Remarkable differences in experience and views were often found in the same…

Gifted females have less frequently sought high-prestige and high-income careers due to a number of barriers. Some barriers are related to society's expectations of women, and others are related to the workplace itself. The most limiting and pervasive barrier is "sex role socialization's impact on the child's developing self-belief system"…

This paper examines the incentive structures in rural communities that encourage or discourage the accumulation of human capital. This is done by identifying the factors that influence educational performance in four school districts in rural Appalachian Virginia and Kentucky. A review of human capital theory, models, and functions generated six…

This book relates the story of urban Black Americans choosing to return "home" to the rural South. The book is based on research in rural areas in North and South Carolina, considered the top nonmetropolitan areas for Black Americans moving south. By 1975, the U.S. Census Bureau released the first numbers suggesting that the exodus of…

The goal of this text is to help educators recognize and reduce ethnic, socioeconomic, gender, contextual, and communicative disparities and inequalities in school. It is designed for preservice educators and attempts to help them understand the influence of diversity factors on the educational careers of their students. Chapter 1 describes the…

This report summarizes demographic information about rural populations in the United States and discusses a variety of issues that are relevant to rural youth poverty. Although recent poverty rates for rural areas were higher than urban poverty rates, the media and political forces have almost completely neglected the rural poor. Extensive census…

Project S.C.A.M.P. (Science, Computer and Mathematics Professions) is a year-long program designed to encourage the mathematical and scientific talents and interests of rural gifted junior high school students. Students participated in a 3-week residential summer camp at the University of Virginia and completed computer-based classes in geometry…

This ERIC Digest reports on the educational aspirations of rural youth compared with students living in urban and suburban areas. Research indicates that in comparison to urban youth, rural young people felt their parents were much more supportive of their taking full-time jobs, attending trade schools, or entering the military rather than…

This paper discusses the use of multicultural materials from an integrated social studies and language arts curriculum to enhance the self-worth of rural at-risk students. The premise is that the use of this model will strengthen the positive correlation between self-concept and school achievement, thereby reducing risk factors. Theories of…

Capstone for a Competitive Edge Summer Camp--1989 was a pilot program formed with input by business and industry, rural vocational educators, and the rural advisory council in conjunction with the Arizona Department of Education and the Arizona Center for Vocational Education. The program's primary intent was to meet the needs of rural vocational…

This report describes an inquiry into the work attitudes and career decision making skills of 754 sophomores in seven rural and one urban high school in Maine. The study is the first part of a planned 7-year longitudinal study that will interview these students again when they are seniors and then again 5 years later. The eight papers in the…

U.S. agriculture has built its reputation on the best agricultural education system in the world. However, its greatness only provides a solid foundation on which to build an even better future. Some things that must be done to meet the challenge of the future are the following: (1) change the stereotypes of what farming is; vocational agriculture…

The Catalyst Training Package was developed by project On The Other Hand, a 16-month project which used two rural Vermont high school districts to field test materials focused on educating youth to reach their full potential, and the roles of men and women in society. Three basic strategies were used to improve educational equity in rural high…