In January 2003, the Northwest Area Foundation (NWAF) contacted land grant universities in Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and Washington to involve them in a program initiative to address rural poverty. After a strategic planning process, NWAF had shifted from traditional grant making to operating programs that…

Describes rural revitalization efforts for small towns in central Washington. Planning analysis by Eastern Washington University faculty and students emphasizes community participation. Details revitalization of the town of Wilbur from planning stages to final outcomes. Describes overall project results. (KS)

Public officials in small towns who participate infrequently in the bond market need information about bond financing. This publication, one in a series of booklets published by the Western Rural Development Center using research gathered between 1967-77, discusses factors influencing the marketability and cost of bond financing for towns and…

Public officials in all towns and cities--especially those in smaller communities that participate less frequently in the bond market-- need information to assist them in answering questions concerning bond financing. One in a series developed by the Western Rural Development Center, this booklet introduces three general approaches to financing…

Reporting on a rural planning and development program that proposes to develop, install, and evaluate alternative models for more effective collaboration and integration of the complex bureaucracies with responsibility for rural regions, this paper describes "Partnership for Rural Improvement" (PRI). Focusing on 11 counties in…

On the eastern edge of the Cascade Mountain range in Washington State, high school biology students have a unique opportunity to study the elusive cougar ("Felis concolor"), a large cat native to the area. Nestled in the Cascade foothills is the city of Cle Elum, a small rural community that is expected to soon experience considerable…

This report examines the perceptions of rural Washington community leaders concerning community information needs and the role of communication technology. In-depth interviews were conducted with 34 leaders in 5 selected rural eastern Washington communities that had access to telecommunications education and information systems, and with 15…

Describes how a small rural town in Washington complied with state legislation mandating community planning to address population growth and environmental degradation. The city planner, with the help of graduate students, involved citizens in deciding land use issues by holding open forums, developing a focus group, educating high school students…

According to the second external review of the Partnership for Rural Improvement (PRI), the program demonstrated very good achievement of two of its major objectives: increasing collaboration among agencies and institutions and increasing competency of educational institutions to support rural development and planning. Between February 23 and…

Despite challenging financial conditions in 1981-82, the Partnership for Rural Improvement (PRI) continued its traditional emphases on project development, organizational development, interorganizational coordination, and training and education as well as its newer emphases on task forces, community education, internships, community service…

The annual report of the Rural Manpower Program, Employment Service Division, contains narrative and statistical data that describe important developments in Washington State during 1973. In terms of man-months of labor, rural counties provided less than 25% of the total seasonal farm employment in 1973, while urban Yakima County alone provided…

Offering a contribution to additional clarity in the debate about the viability of "rural development" as an explanatory concept and program of action, the paper presents details of a causal model which underlies the approach to rural development taken by a W. K. Kellogg Foundation supported program in eastern Washington called "The…

Covering 1979-80, which was the final year of the initial four year grant period for the Partnership for Rural Improvement (PRI), this report details the major assessments and program adjustments made during that year. Several program developments of critical importance to understanding the transition occurring in PRI are highlighted in the…

Rural Amrica has been experiencing dramatic changes in the transition toward a socially and culturally diverse society. This study is a first effort to explore multicultural reform in rural schools. Multicultural education is the process by which the school environment is modified to accommodate cultural differences as well as to teach the role…

Now completing its second year, the Partnership for Rural Improvement (PRI) is a four year rural development program funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. Its fundamental purpose is the development of a linkage system connecting the research and development of knowledge about rural improvement with the dissemination and use of that knowledge.…