This study explores the impact of professional learning communities on student achievement in a small school setting. Aaron Hansen's book, "How to Develop PLCs for Singletons and Small Schools," offered a guide for arranging vertical, grade-level teams with one teacher per grade level at one private, K-8 school. The faculty engaged in…

From 1945 to 1980, school districts across the United States decreased the number of schools through consolidation. With the advent of geographic software, it is possible to map schools across time and analyze patterns of school openings, closings, and consolidation. In this study, one Southeastern Kentucky district was selected as a pilot for…

The Kingdom Come School in Linefork is now a public school, but it began its life in 1924 as part of the settlement school movement that was all the rage at the beginning of the twentieth century. The school was founded by Hiram Frakes, a methodist minister who wanted to create a community that valued education, and promoted opportunities for its…

This study presents historical data describing the building and consolidating of 1 and 2 room schools in Kentucky from 1914 to 1969. The report consists of 4 sections: (1) brief history, (2) pictures, (3) newspaper clippings, and (4) maps. [Not available in hard copy due to marginal legibility of original document.] (TL)

Time and modern education caught up with the nine pupils of Daniel's Creek Elementary School, one of the last remaining one-room schoolhouses in Kentucky. The school was closed at the end of the 1986-87 school year by the county school board, after much opposition from a citizen's group. (JMM)

A charter school is a public school that is operated under a detailed contract with a public agency and that may be exempt from many state and local regulations. This policy brief provides a brief overview of charter school characteristics and legislation, and discusses the concerns of policymakers in four states: Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia,…

This report examines whether students at risk for academic failure are achieving success in Kentucky's alternative schools. Alternative schools serve as a placement both for students who disrupt the mainstream classroom and for those who need academic remediation. Such mixed placements may not provide a quality education for students having only…

Examination of demographic, socioeconomic, and cultural factors in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, the four states served by the Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL), shows low student population density, endemic poverty, low educational attainment, and a population reluctant to seek outside help. This report reviews the…

Critiques the notion of school district efficiency and applies 1 definition to the performance of all 178 Kentucky districts. Finds that achievement test performance of inefficient districts exceeded that of efficient districts by .20 standard deviation, and that efficiency was related to smallness but not ruralness. Contains 26 references.…

This autobiography relates the early teaching experiences of Kentucky teacher and author Jesse Stuart (1906-1984). Barely 17 years old, he first taught in a one-room, isolated rural school in eastern Kentucky for $60 a month. His 35 barefoot students in the eight grades ranged in age from 5 to 20 years. The students' passion for learning…

This two-part report focuses on progress made by the Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL) during the first year of a 5-year contract. AEL's mandate is to work with educators in ongoing research and development-based efforts to improve education and educational opportunities in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Part I:…

In a demonstration of the Appalachia Educational Laboratory's (AEL's) Community Partnership for School Improvement model, Hart County (Kentucky) community members and school representatives planned and implemented a school improvement project to increase parents' involvement in their children's education. In May 1988, 203 out of 625 questionnaires…

Basic needs of children and youth which cannot be provided by small rural schools could be realized by combining the resources and pupils of a number of local districts. Four types of organization are presented as possibilities for providing cooperative educational services: (1) autonomous districts with line functions; (2) semi-autonomous…

In 1973, from the 291 public high schools, there were 40,956 graduates, or 70% of the 58,544 ninth grade enrollment in 1969-70. From the 46 non-public high schools, there were 3,481 graduates, or 71.5% of the 4,870 ninth grade enrollment in 1969-70. This report provides data on the holding power and graduates of Kentucky public and non-public high…

In 1975, from the 321 public high schools, there were 42,975 graduates, or 68.4% of the 62,822 ninth grade enrollment in 1971-72. From the 59 non-public high schools, there were 3,277 graduates, or 83.4% of the 3,930 ninth grade enrollment in 1971-72. This report provides data on the holding power and graduates of Kentucky public and non-public…