Massachusetts is the least rural state in the US, and its existing rural communities are shrinking. This paper examines the historical processes of urbanization, specifically through industrialization that have come to dominate and erase rural communities in the state. The capitalist mindset behind industrialization has spread to education where…

Examines limitations inherent in the learning society debate, highlighting public schooling's role; individualization and fears of uselessness in a modernized, informationalized world; and effects of globalization on learning. A climate of risk and consumerism requires reflexive construction of a "self" on a lifelong learning journey.…

In the Northwest, as across the rest of the United States, the basic characteristics of the U.S. household are changing. In demographic and economic terms, the Northwest is at the forefront of changes predicted for the entire country in the coming century. Urbanization is occurring in a region that was once defined by the relationship of human…

Describes the conditions faced by urban Appalachians, with particular reference to educational outcomes, and outlines the philosophy and functions of the Lower Price Hill Community School in Cincinnati, Ohio. Assesses the school's impact on its students, and on local and state levels of educational attainment. (Author/FMW)