A survey examined the use of coping mechanisms by rural Saskatchewan principals and principals' perceptions of the effectiveness of coping mechanisms used. A modified form of the Ways of Coping questionnaire was mailed to 110 rural principals throughout Saskatchewan (Canada); 48 usable responses were returned. The questionnaire focused on eight…

This report summarizes a two-phase research project on the strategies used by headteachers in small Scottish primary schools to manage mandated educational changes. The research focused on four initiatives of the past decade: 5-14 Curriculum Guidelines, School Development Planning, Staff Development and Appraisal, and Devolved School Management.…

This document consists of the 10 issues of the newsletter Rural Policy Matters published in 1999. The newsletter seeks to promote understanding of the complex issues affecting rural schools and communities, to inform the public debate over rural education policy, and to report what rural people are doing to shape education policy in their state.…

This document contains the four issues of Northwest Education published from fall 2000 through summer 2001. Issue themes are: (1) "New Moves: PE Reinvents Itself" (Fall 2000); (2) "Think Small: Making Education More Personal" (Winter 2000); (3) "The Wild Blue Yonder: Charter Schools Fly into the Unknown" (Spring…

This document contains the 10 quarterly issues of "Rural Matters: The Rural Challenge News," published from Fall 1997 to Winter 2000 (the final issue). This newsletter focused on projects funded by the Annenberg Rural Challenge, as well as research summaries and opinion pieces on the benefits of small schools, place-based education, and…

This paper describes the field experience of 30 undergraduate students in a teacher education program at the University of North Dakota. As part of an introductory teaching and learning course, teacher education students prepared for and taught elementary students in a small, rural school for one-day. The school enrolled 80 children in…

The two issues of the journal SKOLE for 1994 contain original articles and reprints about small alternative schools, home schooling, the contradictions and deficiencies of public education, and educational innovations. Major articles include: (1) "Reunion" (about Rockland Project School, New York) (Alice Gerard); (2) "Children's…

This newsletter provides examples from four small, rural school districts of how innovative superintendents plan and provide resources and provide staff development, which are two of the six ways that school administrators effect change. The superintendents are located in a small poor district in the Arkansas Mississippi Delta region, a primarily…

This bulletin contains synopses of five works that consider the issue of school size from a variety of viewpoints. (1) "School Size' School Climate, and School Performance" (Kathleen Cotton) reviews the research evidence on school size, finding strong support for the advantages of small schools. (2) "Is Bigger Really Better?" (Kenneth Stevenson…

As a component of the University of Alaska's Cross-Cultural Orientation Program (X-COP), this journal provides a forum for rural Alaska teachers to share ideas and insights. Articles in this issue discuss: (1) the inadequacies of educational research for defining the essence of effective teaching; (2) making the classroom culturally compatible…

Representatives of Saskatchewan school boards have formed the Small Schools Network, which met three times in 1995 to share ideas regarding small schools. This first report from the Small Schools Network articulates significant concerns and questions related to education in small schools. Unclear definitions of the small school present a barrier…

The four issues of "SKOLE" published in 1996 include articles about alternatives to public education, the value of free schools and home-schooling, and children's learning experiences. Feature articles include profiles of alternative schools and educational programs; descriptions of learning experiences and teaching practices; a study of full…

"Making good things better" was the theme of the 1985 AASA Small School District Administrators' Conference. The keynote speaker listed four efforts school leadership should take: encouraging people to change, accelerating the growth of people, setting organizational goals, and continuing personal growth. A full day of the conference focused on…

This information packet contains 14 articles reprinted from various books and journals. Establishing and enriching school-community ties in small schools is the theme for this "Information Exchange Packet," the sixth in a series developed for Small Schools Network members. The articles and their authors are: "Skills in Building…

This handbook is designed to illustrate how nine rural schools, along with area postsecondary institutions, planned and implemented guidance and counseling programs and to help others similarly situated to do the same. It contains the ideas, strategies, obstacles, and accomplishments of field test sites in diverse geographic areas. This document…