Nationally, 28 percent of all public elementary and secondary schools were in rural locations in 2013-14, serving 18 percent of all K-12 students (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics 2015). Rural schools serve students in sparsely populated areas and have smaller overall populations than schools in other…

This ALTC project is a collaborative endeavour between the four public universities involved in teacher education in Western Australia (Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University and The University of Western Australia), focussed on improving the quality of preparation of pre-service teachers for rural, regional and remote…

"Going Further" presents a roadmap to the works of the ACCLAIM (Appalachian Collaborative Center for Learning, Assessment, and Instruction in Mathematics) Research Initiative, the research effort of one the Centers for Learning and Teaching (CLTs) created with a grant (2001-2005) from the National Science Foundation. The Center began…

In 1918, Minnesota county superintendent Julius Arp argued that the greatest educational problem facing the American people was the Rural School Problem, saying: "There is no defect more glaring today than the inequality that exists between the educational facilities of the urban and rural communities. Rural education in the United States has…

For years rural schools have survived by solving their problems with cooperation, experimentation, and flexibility, the qualities urban and suburban schools are being urged to adopt in confronting their current problems. (Author/IRT)

Describes a small (305 students in K-12) school district in Iowa and its relationship to its community. (IRT)

Nominees for the 1997 Australia Rural Education Award included a program that allowed rural students to follow a young man sailing around the world; a music, dance, and drama competition for rural students; a music camp; a bandicoot conservation project; an agricultural education program; and student documentation of the history of a local rural…

This source book contains listings of resources available for educators in rural settings. This information was gathered from the states of Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming, by Colorado State University under contract to McREL. Practices reported involve staff development, academic planning,…

The symposium papers presented in this publication are based on a continuing program of research in ten rural school districts. The program, "Project Rural," is part of the Experimental Schools program, which emphasizes a holistic approach to educational change--one requiring simultaneous change in curriculum, staff development, community…

Explains how interactive television is expanding course offerings in two remote, sparsely populated Northern Michigan school districts (Cheboygan and Mackinaw City), how interactive television works, and how the programs were made operational in less than two years. Offers reflections about the program and plans for expansion. (NEC)

This report describes a K-12 career education project in the New Hampshire School Supervisory Union 58 to increase student awareness regarding a wide variety of occupations, to assist students in making intelligent and informed career decisions, and to provide exploration of diverse vocational occupations and on-the-job training effecting skills…

Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) grants give rural districts a new source of federal funds. REAP has two separate programs that address the specific needs of rural districts. The first is the Small and Rural Schools Achievement Program; the second is the Rural and Low Income Schools Program. Explains the differences in the programs and…

During a 1979-1980 pilot project, 13 nine-week residencies by professional artists were sponsored in 10 eastern Oregon school districts with Eastern Oregon State College serving as liaison, the Northwest Area Foundation of St. Paul (Minnesota) contributing $33,500, and participating school districts adding a total of $8,000 in funding. This low…

The K-8 career education project (Jan. 1, 1972-Aug. 1, 1973) was intended to establish a demonstration testing and development model of career education in a consortium of 18 rural school districts participating in the Unified Schools Association for Vocational Education (USA-VE) organization, encompassing nine counties in northwest Kansas. The…

This document contains the 10 quarterly issues of "Rural Matters: The Rural Challenge News," published from Fall 1997 to Winter 2000 (the final issue). This newsletter focused on projects funded by the Annenberg Rural Challenge, as well as research summaries and opinion pieces on the benefits of small schools, place-based education, and…