Argues that rural educators are tired of talking about the unique problems confronting rural schools and are ready to act. Points out the continued national neglect of rural education, and describes current innovative efforts of rural educators. Emphasizes the importance of helping students realize that demography does not define their destiny.…

Gives 1986 National Rural and Small Schools Consortium Conference definitions for rural school district, small school district, and remote/isolated school, providing common terms for communicating with legislators, federal/state policymakers, and researchers. Emphasizes "ruralness" as a continuum affected by the interaction of…

Provides and describes an Innovation Configuration checklist and how it was used by one rural principal to support teachers as they implemented a new math curriculum. Also notes significant role of leadership team. Outlines seven principles of curriculum implementation. (NEC)

Traces the history of the one-room school in West Virginia from the 1750s to the 1970s. Describes teachers, buildings, curriculum, pupil and teacher rules of conduct, size advantages/disadvantages, length of school year, salaries, changes in school district size, evolution of transportation networks, and current status. (NEC)

Describes faculty designed program to provide individualized basic education for each of 116 grade 4, 5, and 6 students in Bigelow, Arkansas, as well as daily opportunities for enrichment through community resource persons. Summarizes community involvement, educational considerations, evaluation efforts, recommendations, and limitations. (NEC)

Discusses consolidation as a method to reduce the costs of rural education. Describes the interrelatedness of the rural economy and rural education. Enumerates advantages and disadvantages of small schools. Suggests that educational reform should focus on the unique circumstances of rural schools. (KS)

Compares and contrasts two economic views, political economy and neoclassical economics, as they pertain to the development of human capital and education in rural areas. The concluding discussion draws implications for rural educators. (Author/KS)

The Holmes Group Report recommended strategies to create better, more professional teachers through longer educational programs, more liberal arts content, higher entry and exit criteria, and career ladders. Such reforms focus on urban needs and may increase rural teacher shortages, teacher salaries, and consolidation pressures. Contains 34…

Provides step-by-step description of a group intermix strategy ("tearing up the book") intended to ensure that a group of learners shares a body of knowledge prior to discussion. Offers suggestions for using strategy in rural classrooms. Includes 19-item annotated bibliography of appropriate grade 5-12 books for using this technique.

Argues that preparation for rural teaching should include a seminar focusing on the literature about rural schooling and rural community dynamics. Suggests a curriculum of agrarian literature to help the future rural teacher deal with xenophobia, differing aspirations, and common illusions about rural life. (DHP)

Describes a three-tiered educational system where local education agencies (LEAs) organize into educational collaboratives responsible to the state education agency (SEA). Synthesizes the findings of current studies that address the economic and programmatic variables related to the operation of effective educational collaboratives in rural areas.…

Describes Sawtry Village College, a Cambridgeshire educational complex built around a rural consolidated secondary school and committed to community education and lifelong learning. Suggests that, with local adaptations, the English village college model may be a viable alternative for rural education in the United States. (SV)

Describes a program for training high school social studies teachers to teach students to identify and systematically study rural policy issues affecting local economic and social development. Examines the relationships among policy studies, public education, and rural community development that make the proposed program particularly effective.…

In 1987-88, advanced placement courses were offered by only 39 of South Carolina's 58 small rural high schools, compared to 100 percent of all other high schools. Distance learning systems, such as the Star Schools Project, provide a feasible option to expand the curriculum in small rural high schools. (SV)

Describes Eagle (Alaska) Community School as a model of educational effectiveness resulting from a 10-year old state policy of turning control of rural schools back to regionally/locally elected boards of education. Also credits effectiveness to community support, increased administrator/teacher retention, and continuity of curriculum. (NEC)