A two-day exchange between staff of the University of Northern Iowa at Cedar Falls and the Burt Community School proved successful for all participants. The university team (professors, graduate students, and senior students who had completed student teaching) became responsible for the education of the Burt students while the Burt teachers and…

Representatives from 15 villages participated in a workshop planned to give teachers in rural small schools an understanding of the nature and problems of the small school and its community, an appreciation of the cultural background of village people, and the skills to implement practical village development programs. Prior to the workshop,…

The finding that turnover rates for school superintendents are highest in small districts has been reflected in a number of studies. To further examine the finding, a survey in Illinois used a stratified random sample of 100 school districts, 32 of which had 499 or less students. With 1974-75 as a base year, the average years served by…

SINCE ONLY ONE FOURTH OF THE POPULATION SPOKE SPANISH, THE LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION, EDUCATION BEFORE 1955 WAS ESSENTIALLY PRECLUDED FOR 150,000 MIXTECAN INDIANS LIVING IN SOUTHERN OAXACA, MEXICO. IN 1955, 7 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WERE ESTABLISHED BY THE NATIONAL INDIAN INSTITUTE, WITH TEACHERS FROM THE LOCAL POPULATION AND INSTRUCTION IN MIXTECO, THE…

TODAY, ONLY 1 OUT OF EVERY 8 PEOPLE IS A FARM DWELLER, AND THIS RATIO DECREASES BY 4 PERCENT ANNUALLY. AS A RESULT, THE STUDENT DISTRIBUTION HAS BECOME EXTREMELY SKEWED IN THE DIRECTION OF THE URBAN SCHOOL, WHILE RURAL SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN FORCED TO CURTAIL NEEDED SERVICES. CONSEQUENTLY, THE RURAL STUDENT LAGS ABOUT 2 YEARS BEHIND THE URBAN STUDENT…

The 1965 status of secondary education in 11 southern states is analyzed in terms of school size, personnel, professional qualifications, and working conditions. Financial data relate per pupil expenditures in both rural and urban schools in each state. Information is provided concerning curriculum trends, innovations, and progressive school…

A study was undertaken in 32 county school districts, located primarily in rural areas, to determine the influence of rurality, financial resources, quality of education, and school performance as measured by educational level attained, on the county school district problem in Arkansas. Both case study and statistical methods were employed in the…

Intended to serve primarily as a guideline, this manual presents an example of how one rural school system restructured its curriculum to integrate career education into the program. Based on flexibility and adaptation, it presents six areas for consideration: (1) the eight elements of career education; (2) the advantages and disadvantages of…

To determine how well rural youths were adjusting to modern society, a study on educational and occupational aspirations of male high school seniors from two counties in Southwest Arkansas was begun in 1965 and completed in 1972. A major finding in the first stage was that 70% of the 165 seniors (121 Whites, 44 Blacks) overaspired for their…

A review of research on rural/small schools' problems, prospects, and possible alternatives indicates that these schools find themselves in a cycle of financial trouble, community disintegration, and dwindling population; they face problems such as low tax base, lack of financial support by state and federal government, inadequate facilities and…

This study was an attempt to assist a rural county school system in central Georgia with instruction at the third grade level in reading skills development after voluntary and complete integration. Specifically it was to (1) determine the general nature of the integration process in the county and its topical relationships and effects upon…

This volume, a continuation of Volume I, presents Part VIII of the report and 12 appendixes. Part VIII is comprised of case studies of the activities of field agents in three states that are the target areas of the Pilot State Dissemination Program. The areas are designated "Southern Small Town,""The Hazelton Districts," and…

To evaluate suggested improvements in rural special education services, behavior disordered, learning disabled, and educable mentally handicapped students (total N=89) in grades seven through nine were compared on three measures. Instructionally relevant differences were minimal, the need for categorical resource rooms was questioned, and…

Explains the advantages to Wellington Junior High School (Colorado) of being a small school (250 students) in a large school district which includes Fort Collins, a city with a population of 80,000 and the home of Colorado State University. (MH)

This report discusses the need for a research agenda to understand how rural public schools can work with their communities to improve student performance while building the community. It focuses on the potential strengths of school-community relationships. Described herein are four community engagement models a school can adopt: (1) School as…