About one in five students in the US attends a rural school, and over half of all school districts are in rural areas. And yet very little is known about achievement, achievement gaps, and academic growth in rural schools, including how school-year and summer changes in achievement may differ in these schools. This lack of information is…

Examines the relative contributions of gender and context (rural, urban, suburban) in explaining variability among high school students on measures of vocabulary, reading comprehension, mathematics, perceptual discrimination, paired-associated memory, and spatial reasons. Reports that with socioeconomic status controlled, gender and context…

Compares responses of counselors in isolated school settings to their non-isolated peers on work environment issues. Reports isolated counselors viewed themselves and their role as more highly valued and felt a greater sense of control than their non-isolated peers, but found obstacles to service delivery in isolated settings. (Author/DHP)

Describes the results of a study of the preferred learning style of rural and urban secondary school students. Reports rural students significantly higher in serious, analytical, and active practical learner characteristics than their urban counterparts as well as more observation centered and fact oriented. (Author/DHP)

Examined elementary students' attitudes toward computers. Results indicated sex, race, and socioeconomic differences in attitudes. The findings suggest that counselors should become personally comfortable with the use of computers and should assume the role of computer consultants in their school systems. Counselors can encourage positive…

What is known about rural science education is derived from perceptions with little empirical data available. Science educators need to develop a database related to rural education to better meet needs of rural children. Available data should be analyzed to provided a framework on which rural science education may grow. (BRR)

The article proposes training rural educators to become self-directed in their own improvement activities. The article summarizes current literature and notes four skills necessary for self-directed development: objectivity; self-critiques; examining only a few instructional skills at a given time; and reinforcement of self. (SB)

This article describes typical urban-rural atmospheric differences, focuses on heat islands as an example of observable alternation-response effects, and briefly describes some simple exercises which are intended to illustrate the reason for such temperature differences. (Author/DE)

To examine effects of ethnicity, SES, and residence on students' participation in formal clubs, activities, and sports, a survey was administered to 1,450 students at a county-wide consolidated high school in southern Appalachia. The purpose was to investigate the significance of Appalachian ethnicity as an explanation for behavior and to…

Because of their visibility at the center stage of community life, small-town superintendents have a greater opportunity to act as participatory managers and instructional leaders. This paper reports the results of surveys with 25 small-town school superintendents to discover rural/urban differences, work patterns, and exemplary practices in…

Numerous reviews and studies have documented high levels of substance use and abuse in the United States when compared to other developed nations. Previous research has identified several factors which place adolescents at risk for substance abuse. This study was designed to replicate and validate some of these risk factors with youth from rural…

A questionnaire was administered to 180 students and 53 teachers in a rural and an urban high school. Results indicate a fairly wide "shared perception" of the fairness of teacher actions in general discipline, but significant differences on control of the academic process and content. The questionnaire is included. (Author/SJL)

Describes the contributions of anthropometric history to the understanding of standards of living in the past. Defines anthropometric history as a methodology that uses body height as a proxy measure for economic variables determining how well the human organism thrives in its socioeconomic environment. Suggests that anthropometric methodology…

Within the field of child welfare a style of practice has evolved among social workers in small communities and rural areas that captures some of the essential elements of case management, prevention, and early intervention. The practice style represents an adaption to contextual factors in rural areas which include: (1) greater geographic…

Based on data from a 1982-1983 study and from other sources, the average annual salaries of teachers in rural schools were compared, by geographical region, with salaries for all public elementary and secondary teachers in the United States, and the average beginning salary for rural teachers was compared with regional data for beginning public…