The paper provides guidelines to rural school districts developing community support and resources for their gifted education programs. The following seven questions are addressed: (1) Does your gifted/talented program and community need a formal community resource development team? (2) If so, how should it be developed? (3) How can you get other…

Identifies unique problems associated with developing gifted programs in rural schools. Makes suggestions to administrators concerning proper emphasis on program planning, sensitivity during the identification procedures, financial and transportation difficulties, and fostering community support. 8 references. (SV)

The publication provides the basic steps and insights to developing a philosophy of career education. It provides change agents within local schools with the background and results of the program developed in Milford, Nebraska. The publication is separated into two parts; they are: (1) position statements and philosophy, and (2) principles and…

The Appalachian Rural Systemic Initiative (ARSI) aims to stimulate sustainable systemic improvements that enhance student performance in mathematics, science, and technology in 66 Appalachian counties characterized by persistent poverty. To support this aim, a major ARSI goal involves development of partnerships among families, communities, and…

Recounts how Foxfire grew from a high school magazine to a national program that helps others to teach in a student-centered way. The Foxfire approach has proven successful regardless of age and grade level, across the curriculum, and in the most traditional school settings. Describes various workshops, courses, and programs that Foxfire has…

Examines strategies for supporting program development in rural community colleges while simultaneously supporting the institutional mission and ensuring economic feasibility, quality, and excellence. Describes techniques for assessing program viability, ensuring program quality, and taking advantage of new opportunities for change. (14 citations)…

Outlines planning procedures and strategies that enable special education supervisors to fit work transition programs for disabled students to local circumstances. Discusses school and community needs assessment to establish program goals; alternative program models; and planning imperatives related to knowledge of the community, staff background,…

This paper describes formative evaluation procedures of a collaborative program developed by the University of Georgia's Rural Revitalization Initiative. The initiative represents a collaboration of units at the university and among local people from several different areas and disciplines. Twelve Georgia counties participated in the project,…

This paper discusses the REAL (Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning) model as a necessary component of rural school-to-work (STW) programs. In rural areas where opportunities for traditional STW approaches (such as apprenticeships) are limited, entrepreneurial education teaches students to be job creators, not just job applicants. This…

Rural gifted programs should be developed by the consumers in rural communities and should focus on the needs and strengths of the community. The unique aspects of rural schools should be used to develop defensible community-based programs. General gifted education procedures, such as developing peer groups and psychologically secure environments,…

In 1642, the Massachusetts General Court required parents to attend to the education of their children. Since then, the visions of the early colonists have fallen victim to rapid population expansion and a highly specialized technology, and the close ties between the school and the community have been seriously weakened. Recent reports, however,…

A questionnaire was sent to 350 people representing heads of Federal agencies dealing with education, all state commissioners of education, superintendents of schools of the largest cities, heads of selected professional education organizations, outstanding community leaders, university researchers, directors of some ERIC clearinghouses, regional…

The School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 established a national framework to guide the development of statewide school-to-work (STW) opportunities systems in each state. Governors apply to the National School-to-Work Office for 5-year federal implementation grants. Early research on implementation of STW in rural areas suggests that…

Demonstrates the importance and effectiveness of a college-community partnership to the success of Enterprise State Junior College's programs for rural women. Underscores the importance of comprehensive needs assessment, counseling sensitive to women's needs, flexible programing, special support services, and continuous evaluation. (AYC)

This report reviews economic and social issues facing rural schools and communities in the 1990's, focusing on the mutual dependence and collaboration between communities and schools. Rural America, dependent on resource-based industries, has faced distressed economy and declining populations. With a historical overview of rural America under the…