Outlines perspectives of nonformal education programs: (1) development (human resource development and integrated rural development) and (2) emancipatory (radical and liberal). (SK)

A survey of 450 North Carolina employees indicates that jobs are better in outside-owned firms than in local firms and that, regardless of the ownership locale, urban Piedmont labor markets provide better jobs than rural labor markets. Analyses suggest that outside firms may be undermining local relations of production in rural North Carolina.…

Questions "supply-push" theory of rural development, which suggests that upgrading workers' skills will guarantee rural development. Data from past two decades show tendency of decreasing growth in job skills and in requirement for quantifiable job skills (e.g., level of education). Upgrading job skills by itself seems unlikely to pay…

Analysis of survey data from 539 community leaders in 120 rural Pennsylvania school districts found that, when the effects of need and socioeconomic and ecological characteristics were controlled, past community action and community solidarity had significant effects on adoption of various local economic development strategies. (TD)

Three small Colorado towns that faced a declining economy as the mining resource ran out used gambling-based tourism as a strategy for community development. Although economic benefits to the towns have far exceeded expectations, negative social, environmental, and political changes, such as crime alcoholism, traffic problems, and conflicts…

The adult basic education program of the University of Natal (South Africa), in conjunction with a rural development agency, is intended to train literacy teachers and develop English-as-a-Second-Language teaching materials. One implication was that what may have worked at the village level needs reconceptualization for large-scale adaptation. (SK)

In 1994, a multiagency service team, consisting of state and federal agencies, colleges, private consultants, and nonprofit organizations, was formed to coordinate delivery of technical assistance services to small manufacturers in Maine's wood products industry. Results were generally positive but showed the need to carefully match assistance…

A 15-year study found that Amish schools have increased, numbering 1,139 in 2000. Where public school funding is on a per-pupil basis, these schools may have a negative effect on rural school district financing. However, an Amish community may increase local farm-related trade and tourism, thereby increasing taxable property and public school…

Changes in federal policy affecting rural development in economically distressed areas in 2001 include new markets initiatives, establishment of the (Mississippi River) Delta Regional Authority, and increased infrastructure funding. Infrastructure priorities include highway construction, airport improvements, public works grants, rural…

Students often participate in service learning because it looks good on college applications or is a natural outcome of their church or club activities. If they stumble into careers of service later, it is usually an afterthought, not part of a planned path. Considering the social, environmental, and economic equity issues that today's students…

This article features CATIE (Centro Agronomico Tropical de Investigacion y Ensenanza), a tropical agricultural research and higher education center. CATIE's mission is to be instrumental in poverty reduction and rural development in the American tropics, by promoting diversified and competitive agriculture and sustainable management of natural…

Appalachia provides excellent examples of regional concepts and subregional dynamics that comprise and change regions. The region also illustrates complexities that arise in teaching regional concepts. These concepts often present challenges for students, not only in comprehending the ways that change occurs as the selection of regionally-defining…

The institutions and practices of agricultural extension in Australia are changing to meet the changing needs of rural people and communities. Issues and challenges facing rural people include the declining relative economic importance of agriculture; the declining agricultural workforce; and the shift in agriculture from a purely production…

The rural communities of the North American Great Plains are experiencing fundamental economic and social changes that threaten their very existence. While local projects offer hope for survival, many communities lack the knowledge needed to envision and evaluate their possible futures. As a consequence, communities may pursue survival strategies…

Both the rural economy and the disability community in rural areas can benefit from a recognition that they are mutually dependent. With the decline of rural America, the economic base underpinning all aspects of disability support systems is weakening. In addition, rural disability services often are compartmentalized along functional lines with…