In rural America, creating quality work-based-learning opportunities (such as career days and field trips) depends more on understanding students and their families, parent and community involvement, and economic development than on students' ability to compete in a "global economy." Craig Howley's sidebar explains community…

A case study exploring the relationship between local leadership and the school-community partnership was conducted in a small, isolated Australian mining town. Data were generated from written materials such as the local newspaper and interviews with 8 school staff members and 11 community members involved with the schools or representing…

Winning essays on rural school/community cooperation written by elementary, middle, and high school students recommend community volunteering to raise money, improve school appearance, and help with student supervision; building on the strengths of rural life; revitalizing rural communities through economic development; increased experiential…

This document describes the industrial decline in a small Midwestern town and its effect on education and the local economy. While some people refused to see a problem, others saw that the decline would continue until the town school closed and community services dwindled. The paper calls for new solutions to rural education and economic problems,…

A case study of a rural community in Western Australia examined factors responsible for the progress made in breaking down barriers between youth and adults and building community cohesiveness. Community documents and interviews with school personnel, students, and community members revealed that the high school worked with the community to build…

This paper proposes a model in which the rural school becomes an active agent in community economic development through leadership development and civic education. Families, school, and community are the three pillars of public education, and the concept of community engagement is crucial to rebuilding this educational partnership and creating an…

A strategy to assist in community development can help rural schools in rapidly growing areas meet the changing educational needs of their communities. Such a strategy should include gathering information about anticipated changes in the size and composition of the school population in order to plan for adequate staff and facilities. Planning for…

Community colleges should return to the philosophy of localism and team up with community agencies to play an active role in community planning and development. Rural colleges, which are governed by local boards that are more prone to receive immediate community pressure than their urban counterparts, are more suited to the achievement of this…

In an effort to understand the role of the arts in small Illinois communities, a broad exploratory study was conducted in nine counties to determine what potential arts audiences want, what local arts resources offer, and what arts programming strategies are suggested by the gaps between the two. Organizational representatives and individuals…

Representatives from 15 villages participated in a workshop planned to give teachers in rural small schools an understanding of the nature and problems of the small school and its community, an appreciation of the cultural background of village people, and the skills to implement practical village development programs. Prior to the workshop,…

Successfully field tested in four villages in the Federal Capital Area, Pakistan, the model is designed to: identify and prioritize village concerns and educational needs; validate and analyze the needs with respect to village values and goals; and select, develop, implement, and evaluate a best solution. Major steps in the model are: data…

The Lohrville Career Education Model (LCEM) is a successful program to influence the decision of rural high school students to remain in the community after graduation and to help them examine local occupational opportunities and potential. The LCEM consists of a 7-unit course in local history, rural living, rural economy, rural attitudes,…

The problems, challenges, and opportunities of rural education are the focus of the fourteen speeches and nine workshops presented at the second annual conference on rural education, held February 1-2, 1979, in Des Moines, Iowa. Conference proceedings are presented in this newsletter in transcript or summary form. Speeches cover the topics of…