This qualitative phenomenological narrative inquiry research study used narrative inquiry to investigate rural superintendents' experiences with the application of principle-centered leadership in their districts. Ten superintendents from rural districts in east Texas were interviewed. Narratives were analyzed by organizing, describing,…

Pennsylvania Intermediate Unit 8 (IU8) seeks to scale innovations that are evolving as local solutions to educational challenges in rural school districts. Consistent with its mission of creating customized solutions, IU8 seeks to make the innovations better, meaning more learner centered and community focused. IU8 is evolving the Getting Better…

Two schools in Idaho received ARRA SIG (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act School Improvement Grants) funds to enable them to implement improvement efforts. This paper describes the outcomes of these two ARRA SIG recipient schools: (1) Jefferson Middle School; and (2) Lakeside Elementary School. The experiences of this non-recipient school is…

Minnesota has enacted legislation and implemented cooperative services to meet student needs. Legislation allows two or more districts to cooperate on programs and services while maintaining local boards and independent school district status. Communicasting, combining elements of communication and broadcasting, enables school districts to share…

Improved strategies for sharing resources are absolutely essential to the survival of small schools. Although not all, or even a major portion, of school programs should be provided by a cooperative delivery system, a discerning superintendent and board will mobilize every resource available to them in conducting their educational programs.…

Texas small/rural schools often band together to receive services or programs that would not otherwise be available to them. Services and programs are from Regional Education Service Centers and from the Texas Education Agency. Banding together also increases the schools' influence on political and legislative decisions. (CM)

The Supplementary Educational Center for the Bottineau County Schools has completed its 6th year under Federal Title III, Elementary and Secondary Education Act, program funding. This report serves as a summary of the Center as well as an evaluative report. Original objectives are reviewed to determine accomplishments. The 8 objectives are: (1) to…

Describes Wisconsin's cooperative education service agency program organized to help groups of small rural schools get special industrial education expertise that would be too costly for a single school to support. Presents K-12 curriculum descriptions for a cluster of five school districts with sequenced course content. (MF)

Five articles about education service agencies (ESAs) serving rural schools yield five insights. Many rural systems owe their existence to ESA support. ESAs provide critical technology support. States should encourage school district collaboration. Inclusion of postsecondary institutional representatives in ESAs is an important step towards a…

This book was developed as a comprehensive guide to rural education resources, exemplary programs, and products. The guide is organized according to federal regions (1 through 10) and offers almost 200 citations. The cited agencies and programs, including departments of education, schools, resource centers, and outreach programs, are organized by…

This paper describes the North Dakota Teacher Center network, designed to meet the needs of teachers in rural schools. Each of ten locally governed teacher centers houses a library of teaching materials in a school or college setting. Each center coordinates credit and non-credit workshops, classes, and seminars of interest to area educators. Each…

Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) provide cost-effective shared services to New York's rural districts. Services in career and technical education and staff development offered by the Steuben-Allegany BOCES are described. Future plans include increased cooperation with colleges in providing adult education, evolution of the…

ONE OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA REGION 5 EDUCATIONAL SERVICES CENTER IS TO ASSIST SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL NEEDS. THE SERVICE CENTER WAS REQUESTED TO FORMULATE THE NECESSARY CURRICULUM FOR THE CONSOLIDATION OF FLAT CREEK, HEATH SPRINGS, AND KERSHAW HIGH SCHOOLS, HAVING A COMBINED ENROLLMENT OF 502 STUDENTS IN…

Southeast Kansas Education Service Center (or Greenbush) cooperative aims to provide educational equity for rural school children. Greenbush, which began in 1975 and now serves 110 school districts throughout the state and nation, offers 180 programs including science workshops, interactive distance-learning programs, outdoor-challenge courses,…

Thanks to the economies of scale inherent in networks of education services agencies (ESAs), these agencies can provide small rural schools with access to programs, services, and technical assistance that otherwise might be unavailable. Typical core services of ESAs, historic roots, evaluation of ESAs in Iowa and Texas, and trends in ESA funding…