The in-house professional development conference was designed for teachers in Simpson County Schools to connect local educators and show value in their work. This conference was created for a public school in rural south-central Kentucky, but is designed to be scalable to other systems, public or private. Upon completion of reviewing the…

There have been limited qualitative case studies exploring effective strategies designed to improve graduation rates in rural school districts. Specifically, few studies have presented information based solely upon the voices of practitioners themselves in solving the graduation crisis in America's public schools. This study will add to the…

This causal-comparative study examined the relationship of school uniforms to attendance, academic achievement, and discipline referral rates, using data collected from two high schools in rural southwest Georgia county school systems, one with a uniforms program and one without a uniforms program. After accounting for race and students with…

All schools can benefit from giving students the option of online learning, but for many rural schools, online learning is a lifeline. In the past two years, Lane Education Service District in Oregon, USA, has developed online resources for 14 Lane County school districts, which vary in size from 170 students to as many as 17,000. Many of the…

This descriptive study provides a snapshot of the correlations between a child's learning experiences a year before entering kindergarten and the reading/literacy skills a child has entering kindergarten. Early literacy assessment scores were used to evaluate the effectiveness of four categories of learning experiences prior to entering…

In August 1999, Allendale County (South Carolina) Schools were taken over by the state. The rural school district, which is remote, poor, and racially segregated, has consistently had the worst test scores in the state, and little was being done to improve the situation. The district's problems and beginning efforts to address them are described.…

This paper outlines an attempt to include analysis of political, economic, and social considerations within a study of the feasibility of a school district merger in Guilford County, North Carolina. The paper is divided into three sections, the first of which discusses major conditions in each of three school districts in the county. Two of these…

RESEARCH ON SCHOOL DISTRICT REORGANIZATION VERIFIES THAT LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS OPERATE AS A FUNCTION OF THE STATE. AS REORGANIZATION RATES HAVE BEEN TOO SLOW, THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THE NEED FOR STATE LEGISLATIVE MANDATES FOR COMMUNITY-TYPE SCHOOL DISTRICTS. FOR IMPROVED UTILIZATION OF CONTEMPORARY KNOWLEDGE OF EDUCATION IN PROVIDING RICHER AND…

A remedial program was planned for reading-disabled third- through eighth-grade children of average or above-average general ability in Marion County, Florida, an area which has a predominately rural, low income population. This handbook describes program goals, staff responsibilities, scheduling, grouping, screening, diagnosis, instruction,…

This article examines each of the three major sources of work done by North Dakota county superintendents--statute, regulation, and initiated and invited service--and argues that, although county superintendents provide valuable services, there is a need to restructure the superintendency to better respond to changes in intermediate county…

A survey of 21 superintendents and administrators of boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities in 12 rural northwestern Ohio counties examined problems in recruitment and retention of special education teachers and ancillary personnel and rural factors contributing to these problems. Recommends strategies to address personnel…

This report examines the financial ability of West Virginia's 55 county school boards to balance their budgets for fiscal years 1990-95. Data were gathered from annual financial statements of the county boards, annual state budgets, various state reports on education, and a survey of districts that did not incur any deficits. An overview of West…

This dissertation synopsis examines the relationship of school size to the achievement of students of varying levels of socioeconomic status in West Virginia and investigates motives for consolidation in this mostly rural state. To control for varying grade-span configurations, size (of school and district) was defined as enrollment per grade…

Presents several dimensions of students' science perceptions in grades 1-12 in a rural county school system. The pupils' viewpoints are related to school and nonschool experiences and to the views of local adults. The students' perceptions were also used as a basis to explore issues raised by school administrators and teachers. (KR)