The objective of this study was to define the attitudes of a representative sample of rural New England citizens concerning their town libraries in order to identify the motivational factors necessary for adequate rural library "se and support. Study data were collected mainly through personal interviews involving 749 representative…

A socio-economically stratified sample of 368 randomly selected adult women residents of the Chaffey College district were interviewed to determine their demographic characteristics, educational needs and interests, perceived barriers to educational participation, and the adequacy of current college programs to meet the needs of women. Results of…

A summary of research relating to the Duluth, Minnesota, Indians is presented utilizing 12 major sections: an introduction; profiles of the "typical" Duluth (1) Indian resident, (2) male Indian resident, (3) female Indian resident, (4) Indian high school graduate, and (5) Indian high school nongraduate; the importance of education;…

An investigation was made of certain structural characteristics of a small, isolated rural community (Pemberton, British Columbia) that might influence participation in adult education. Existing night school courses were mainly in vocational training, domestic sciences, and recreational activities. Although over half of the 158 males interviewed…

Due to limited time and money, this feasibility study focused primarily on the desirability of using vouchers as that desirability could be measured in the awareness, acceptance, and willingness of inner-city Garyites to participate in an education voucher pilot program. The study began with a two-month information campaign to inform Garyites…

Social honor--or status--in the school and larger community, and selected aspects of traditional Polish-culture maintenance, are important factors relating to Polish-American ethnicity in the school. This is demonstrated using data collected by questionnaire and participant observation in an urban Roman Catholic secondary school in the American…

Public elementary and secondary schools in Illinois that have remained stably racially mixed over time are identified in this study. The neighborhood characteristics, pupil assignment policies, instructional programs, and other circumstances that have contributed to that stability are also determined. Several alternative definitions of…

This study constitutes the second phase of a three-phase project whose purpose is to develop strategies for dealing with the information needs of urban residents. The focus is on how the information practitioner can effectively deal with individual citizens. From Phase I (IR 003 729), an approach, called the client-in-situation approach, was…

Proposes social structural view of poverty rates as a function of local opportunity instead of individual-level focus on who is poor. Defines poverty rates as a function of industrial structure and relative power of labor in a locality. Confirms theoretical model with data from 46 South Carolina counties. (LFL)

Stressed by high poverty levels, a low tax base and low teacher salaries, the East Feliciana School District competes, most often unsuccessfully, with neighboring districts and states, and with a relatively segregated white academy system for qualified teachers and pupil resources. Consequently, at the dawn of the federal government's landmark…

Over the last 2 decades, the loss of population and businesses in many small, inland, and remote Australian rural communities has intensified, largely because of the stress and uncertainty of volatile world commodity markets. This manual presents a range of survival and revival strategies that some communities have used to build resilient…

This case study examines the history and current circumstances of education in East Feliciana Parish (Louisiana) in the context of its participation in the Delta Rural Systemic Initiative (RSI), which aims to improve science and mathematics achievement through systemic reform. This report describes the parish's history, demography, and economic…

A conference brought together the leaders of the 11 projects funded by the National Science Foundation's Rural Systemic Initiative (RSI) to reflect upon their efforts to improve mathematics and science education in poor rural communities. A variety of themes emerged. The RSI projects serve small, rural communities suffering from decades of…

Discusses two situations dealing with juvenile delinquency: (1) prejudicial attitudes stemming from racism and how they are reflected in the service delivery infrastructure, service accessibility and utilization, and the development of more appropriate intervention strategies; and (2) the elements of small groups and families in a community…

Discusses the utopian philosophy and related educational practices of the early 19th-century communitarian settlement in New Harmony, Indiana. The settlement failed after several years, due in no small part to the falling out between its two main supporters, Robert Owen and William Maclure. (MJP)