High-poverty schools in rural areas and small towns are under attack from state policy makers who want to consolidate these schools in order to save money. In addition to calls for consolidation, rural schools also are threatened by unfair and inadequate funding formulas.

Discusses the changing nature of rurality in Canada, due to increasing urbanization, and the need to redefine rural education. School district consolidation has resulted in larger schools and loss of community. Medium-sized schools have great affiliative advantages for students. Citizens should fight for the right to construct the kind of schools…

Consolidation has become both a solution for small, rural school districts and a contentious policy fraught with numerous difficulties. Despite concerns about limited curricula and higher operating expenses, there is no generalizable evidence that students educated in rural settings underachieve or have deficient social skills. Recent research has…

Examined relationship between 1983-84 Nebraska high school enrollments and program breadth and junior-senior high school enrollments and teacher endorsement rates. Concluded rural district reorganization/consolidation resulting in larger secondary grade enrollments would probably result in more course offerings but would not affect percentage of…

The interval from 1930 to 1965 witnessed the disappearance of virtually all one- and two-teacher schools in 17 Southern and border states. Isolation and transportation difficulties prevent further consolidation of small schools in many of these states. A number of small schools still in existence are located in hospitals and correctional…

Explores how school administrators can implement educational processes allowing full inclusion of students with disabilities into the general education program. Reviews literature on limitations of special education practices, arguments against, full inclusion, and rural communities' unique characteristics. Applies organizational behavior theories…

Argues that removing children from their rural sphere is detrimental to students and the community. The largest obstacle among many is a "second best" attitude toward rural education. Schools and policymakers should change this attitude and work for realizing potentials of rural education. (ALL/GGH)

This report synthesizes the experience-based ideas that emerged from small group interaction at the 16th annual Montana Rural Education Conference, which focused on the pros and cons of school district consolidation. Conferees first heard from panelists and speakers expressing a spectrum of positive and negative positions on the consolidation…

This report describes the North Dakota School District Boundary Restructuring Program that was adopted by the 1989 North Dakota legislature in an effort to offset declining population and school enrollment in rural areas. The program provides incentive money for clusters of school districts to join together to enhance educational opportunities for…

This paper represents a brief history of rural education in Fayette County (Texas) from 1918 through 1975. The paper focuses on the personal narratives of Harry Loeb, the last official superintendent of Fayette County and Emma Diedt, a 50-year Fayette County teacher. The narratives describe Fayette County schools, school politics, and the…

An overview of the history of rural school consolidation in north central Iowa reveals that by 1994, 9 of the 10 high schools in towns of less than 500 in 1940 had closed, and 3 of the 5 high schools in towns with populations of 500-999 had closed. However, all three towns with populations over 1,000 in 1940 had high schools in 1993-94. This…

A political writer presents the case for maintaining small schools in Minnesota and not entering into drastic consolidation of school districts as recommended by the Domian Report. Small School superintendents' replies to a survey, results of educational studies and reports, the work of small school projects, and quotations from prominent…

A general look at rural and/or small schools is the focus of this state of the art review. The historical perspective of the report begins in 1918, when the trend toward consolidation of one-room schools was first indicated and continues into and well beyond the depression. It is reported that the number of school districts decreased from 127,000…

The narrative portion of this 1963 survey report describes the 2 communities (Pinetop and Lakeside, Arizona) involved in the school evaluation, the organization and administration of the school districts, the programs of education, the certificated and the classified personnel, the financial and business management of each district, and the plant…

Economies of scale frequently have been advanced as a rationale for rural school consolidation. This article defines the economies of scale principle; describes its application to public education; and reviews selected studies, 1959-86, from a rural education perspective. Notes the possible overstatement of economics of scale in some studies.…