The current study sought to determine if community based gardening projects would reduce perceptions of the need to use communication devices--cell phones or text messaging--and increase the likelihood of participating in future volunteer projects. Results strongly support the predictions in that the experimental group post-test mean score of the…

Recruiting and retaining teachers and other personnel continues to be one of the most critical issues in rural schools. The need for teachers in the U.S. is expected to grow significantly as large numbers of teachers retire, many taking advantage of early retirement incentives. In searching for ways to meet new federal law requirements outlined in…

This two-volume set containing guidelines and a handbook is intended for persons monitoring the quality of community residences for retarded individuals. The guidelines document begins with a monitoring review worksheet which elicits information in the following categories: human, civil, and legal rights; environment; use of community resources;…

This manual is designed to help child care providers develop, implement, and evaluate a family development plan for at-risk families. The plan's five components are designed to: (1) identify family strengths; (2) identify family needs; (3) identify community resources; (4) develop and implement a family action plan; and (5) monitor family…

This manual describes three instruments that can be used to inventory elements related to adult education and career development: (1) the Adult Education Program Survey, which is designed to examine the concerns of adult learners in the community regarding their prospective participation in adult education; (2) the Inventory of Community…

This packet contains resources on five topics relevant to rural school administrators. "Assessing Parent Involvement: A Checklist for Rural Schools": discusses educator beliefs that support successful parent engagement programs, challenges and advantages of rural schools attempting to involve parents and community, and aspects of…

A survey and demonstration project was undertaken in 1977-78 to identify gaps in the professional preparation of library professionals who work with young children, and to develop and test short course offerings to improve the skills and competencies of school and public librarians. Questionnaires were sent to 400 school and public librarians in…

A program was developed in Virginia to train Black and rural family caregivers of persons with dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease. This final program report begins with project briefs that summarize major products and findings, program objectives and accomplishments, and dissemination activities. Chapter 1 addresses issues related to…

The purpose of this practicum was to increase motivation and self-confidence of grade four students in mathematics achievement. Measured were the increase in the number of students displaying mastery of the times-tables, increase in the number of students making a gain on a math post-test, and increase in the number of students liking mathematics.…