Results of a household survey from rural Ethiopia indicate that rural children commonly participated in household and agricultural work from a very early age, and more than half of working children had never attended school. In the context of subsistence economies such as these, initial policy interventions should aim to make the combination of…

Examines the dynamics of minority teacher recruitment in rural Nevada. Finds that recruitment dollars did not play a significant role. Recommends that school board members and administrators develop programs that encourage minorities in their communities to enter the field of education, and encourage capable minority substitute teachers and…

A summer program in Whitesburg, Kentucky teaches local youths video and audio production, then sends them into the community to produce documentaries. The program teaches marketable skills and helps participants view their community in a positive light and become active, contributing members. The program's success has spawned an after-school…

Senator Collins of Maine plans to fight for proper federal funding of the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) that allows rural schools to combine federal funding sources. Collins, and Senator Dianne Feinstein, will soon introduce legislation that will eliminate inequities in the current Social Security law that penalize teachers and other…

Provides an overview of several current satellites-based instructional systems and assesses their potential role in rural education. Highlights include the Oklahoma Arts and Sciences Teleconferencing Service (ASTS); the Texas Interactive Instructional Network (TI-IN); Washington's Satellite Telecommunications Educational Programming (STEP);…

Outlines characteristics of effective technology-based distance-learning programs that meet specific local needs, incorporate current educational theory and practice, and satisfy the social and emotional needs of the students. Presents guidelines for program development in rural schools. (SV)

Reports a case study of the village of Illukwewa, Sri Lanka, which examined traditional technologies, life skills and the feasibility of implementing formal learning programs based on these methods. Makes recommendations on focusing the learning process toward formal education. (KO)

Discusses instructional modifications to increase the academic success of rural behavior-disordered students in regular classes. Describes adaptations of teaching mode, media use, presentation of academic content, textbook content and organization, and test construction and administration. Contains 10 references. (SV)

Investigates the status of primary education among rural girls in 40 Chinese townships of 18 counties. Contends that the difficulties faced by these girls are representative of the situation in a number of other locales. Identifies 3 major problems which have led to inferior educational level among girls and suggests 4 remedies. (KO)

The article presents an historical review of specialized education for blind and visually impaired children in India and specifically addresses the issue of mainstreaming these students into integrated settings. Data and discussion of rural education projects and teacher training programs are outlined. (Author/DB)

Using the research on effective staff development, a rural Minnesota school district developed a grass-roots professional development program which featured opening-week workshops, training programs, mini-grants, a professional library,and a school effectiveness program. (JD)

This article discusses current transition issues facing teachers and educational diagnosticians working in rural settings with disabled populations. Barriers to successful assessment and programing (financial factors, human factors, and visibility) are noted and seven suggestions offered for implementing a transition assessment and programing…

A community resource program, Minds in the Making, was designed to expand the existing elementary program for gifted and talented students in an urban district to include typically underserved populations. Qualitative assessment by students, teachers, and the community indicated the program met its goals. The program was also successfully…

Reviews "Overcoming Risk: An Annotated Bibliography of Publications Developed by ERIC Clearinghouses," by Wendy Schwartz and Craig Howley which also contains two critical essays on the definition and measurement of risk. In addition, the bulletin contains an index of "fugitive literature" related to rural education and small…

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…