In Germany, continuing education (CE) is, to a large extent, controlled by municipalities ("Kommunen"). Municipalities have published an increasing number of education reports in recent years. These are intended as steering instruments for local education policy. Given that municipalities and the districts they represent differ in their…

Found a divergence of metropolitan and nonmetropolitan fertility rates in the 1970-80 decade but renewed convergence since 1980. Metro-nonmetro differences widened in that nonmetro women 20-24 years of age had higher rates of first and second births but also in that metro women over 30 years of age had higher rates of first and second births. (KS)

Projections of 1980 population figures for the Appalachian Region are discussed in terms of growth rates, population trends, income levels, and changes in urban and rural counties. Tabular data are presented for population of the Appalachian Region, state parts, local development districts and subregions, and poverty status of household…

Defining "rural" has preoccupied rural sociologists. Two constituents of rural are suggested: "capitalist space" in the form of uneven regional development and the "mode of primary production" (including the occupational category), which is distinguished by its direct interaction with the natural environment.…

Reviews various sociological concepts of "rural" and the definitional problems related to occupational, sociocultural, ecological, and multidimensional conceptions of rurality. Describes and recommends multidimensional typologies developed by the United States Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Services and the Maine State Planning…

Examination of demographic, socioeconomic, and cultural factors in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, the four states served by the Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL), shows low student population density, endemic poverty, low educational attainment, and a population reluctant to seek outside help. This report reviews the…

Compares rural and urban income levels of Whites, Blacks, and Hispanic workers by region for the years 1979 and 1987. Presents information on geographic concentrations of minorities. Suggests the economic status of rural minorities failed to improve because of the nonskilled or semiskilled job opportunities in areas where minority populations are…

Nonmetro educational attainment increased substantially between 1970 and 1990; however, nonmetro areas continued to lag metro in both high school and college completion rates. The metro-nonmetro gap in high school completion rates narrowed, whereas the gap in four-year college degree completion rates widened. Compares completion rates by region,…

Poverty rates for nonmetro families with children increased during the 1980s. Of these families, those headed by women had the highest poverty rate at 50.7% and were the household type whose rate increased most in nonmetro areas during the 1980s. Discusses differences in poverty rates and child poverty rates by county type and region. (KS)

In 2004 the Monitoring the Future study marked its 30th year of conducting national surveys of substance use among American young people. Beginning with the first survey of high school seniors in 1975, the study has provided the nation with a window through which to view the important, but largely hidden, problem behaviors of illicit drug use,…

Results of a multiple discriminant analysis suggest that, although current residence and occupation are correlated with a rural culture, place of residence at age 16 along with several personal demographic features such as religion, income, and age, are more central to understanding the broader concept of rurality. (Author)

Reviews nonmetropolitan regional demographic trends of the 1980s including population change, age distribution, migration by county type and age, effect of metropolitan proximity, changes in income and poverty, minority population, educational attainment, numbers of rural schools and school districts, and district enrollment. Suggests that…

The monograph is an attempt to describe conditions existing today in rural America that can affect the operation and impact of vocational education in rural areas and, thus, should exercise an influence on policy making. It identifies statistical patterns and characteristics common to rural areas, both within regions and those that cut across…

The five states of the Southwest--Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas--represent great diversity in economies, politics, educational settings, and resources. Despite this diversity, research indicates that rural small schools are concerned about the same issues as education as a whole. The purpose of this report is to present the…

This report discusses the growing shortage of affordable housing in the rural United States. The data, released in February 1989, come from the U.S. Bureau of the Census and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The data show that most of the 3.9 million poor households in nonmetropolitan areas pay high percentages of their limited…