Describes an ethnographic dissertation that portrays how patterns of culture and history in a rural community in Maine negatively influence many rural students' academic aspirations. Consolidated schools exacerbate the effect by separating students from their parents and communities and alienating them in school. (TD)

A survey of 124 African-American high school juniors and seniors in the rural South investigated factors related to interest in teaching as a career. Approximately one-third of participants indicated an interest in teaching; 75% of the rest were interested in health care professions or owning their own business. Nine data tables summarize results.…

Outlines the policy framework for vocational education and training (VET) in New South Wales (Australia), provision of VET through distance education to isolated learners and students in small rural schools, issues related to the child-to-adult transition of isolated students, and the varying educational needs of students following five different…

A survey of 140 parents of Nevada 4-H members found that 4-H programs successfully taught a variety of life skills to youth. Active members learned more about life skills than less active members, although all showed gains. The quality of adult leadership skills and the instructional effectiveness of 4-H competitions and projects were highly…

A survey and interviews with 372 youth aged 9-16 in rural Northhamptonshire (England) explored children's experiences of rural life. Challenging the image of the idyllic rural childhood, many youth, especially the least affluent and teenagers, felt detached from village life, powerless, and unable to find autonomous social space away from adult…

"Say Yes First--To Rural Youth and Family Alcohol/Drug Prevention" (SYF) was a 5-year, federally-funded U.S.D.H.H.S. Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) project that involved 859 children in the class of the year 2000. The children in four rural school districts were followed from Grade 4 to Grade 8 from 1991 to 1996. Initial results in a…

This study examined the effects of school attendance on the grade point averages (GPAs) of 70 regular education and 17 learning disabled fifth-graders in a rural school district. It found that school attendance had a significant positive influence on the regular education and learning disabled students' GPAs, indicating that absenteeism directly…

One of the largest problems facing rural school counselors is that of confronting the low career expectations that many rural students have by the time they reach high school. The relationship among the fear of success (FOS), self-concept, and career decision making of adolescents was examined in this study. Special attention was given to whether…

This preliminary study examined the meanings, models, and strategies of rural students in grades 3-8 for solving simple, whole number division problems. Findings suggested that students have multiple meanings for division words such as "share" and "fair share." Cultural factors and diversity in the classroom may be associated…

This report examines the development of law-related education (LRE), discusses the extent of its implementation in rural Illinois, and describes the efforts made by the Illinois Institute for Public Understanding About the Law (IIPUAL) in bringing LRE to rural schools. The goals of LRE are to provide students with an understanding of the law and…

This report examines alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use in rural parts of Indiana, as well as public and private initiatives to reduce these problems. The report is based on epidemiological, health, and criminal justice indicators; focus groups; and in-depth interviews with local officials, researchers, service providers, and civic leaders.…

Panel studies examined changes in the educational and occupational aspirations of 191 rural Ohio youth. The 1988 survey questions were similar to those asked in a study conducted 3 years earlier when subjects were 10th and 12th graders. Major findings were: (1) the influence of school personnel on student career and curriculum choices was less…

This document synthesizes research findings to formulate a theory to guide relaxation training in educational settings, particularly rural schools. Young people experience many intense life events that require coping skills or relaxation. Family-related stress factors include instability in the home, lack of a support system, conflicting values,…

According to the definition that a rural school district is one in which 75% or more of the population lives outside Standard Metropolitan Areas or in which student density is equal to or less than 10 pupils per square miles, 36 or 65% of West Virginia's 55 counties are classified as rural. State school policies do not specifically recognize the…

Of Virginia's 139 school districts (which are called "divisions"), 75 (or 54%) are classified as rural. A rural school district is defined as one in which 75% or more of the population lives outside Standard Metropolitan Areas or in which student density if less than or equal to 10 pupils per square mile. While there are large…