This paper differentiates between the "old story" of rural education and the emerging "new story." It describes the tradition (old story) in which rural education is related to the local and national economies and lays out fragments of the new story, a paradigm that combines rural education and the rural economy in a way that strengthens them…

Special Training for Exceptional People (STEP) is a private, nonprofit agency serving children with developmental disabilities (0-22 years) and their families in the south-central section of Montana, encompassing Billings and a Crow Indian Reservation. One of the services provided by STEP is specialized family care, to prevent placement out of…

This ERIC digest examines the slowed pace of school district reorganization since 1970 and the expanded role of state education agencies (SEAs). It also reports trends that influence consideration of various reorganization forms and considers the framework in which future policy options may take shape. The decades from 1940 to 1970 show the…

This pamphlet describes ways in which parents and others interested in education can effectively evaluate the usefulness of educational research. Almost everything that happens in the schools is related to educational research. Parents and concerned others should appreciate its benefits, but should be aware that: not all research is done well or…

This monograph examines educational research and some of the myths surrounding it. The results of educational research strongly influence education. Much research, past and present, is biased. It is necessary to understand that race and sex bias can affect research, to understand how to determine whether bias is present, and to know how to…

Based on reports generated by the Michigan office of the Project on Equal Education Rights (PEER), this report documents how schools in Michigan perpetuate sex bias/discrimination, and describes what is being done to encourage sex equity. The report also examines the extent of school compliance with Title IX (Education Amendments of 1972), which…

The internal/external (I/E) frame of reference model describes relations among Verbal self-concept (VSC), Math self-concept (MSC), and corresponding achievement scores (VACH, MACH). In support of the model Marsh (1986) found that: (1) VSC and MSC were nearly uncorrelated; (2) the effect of VACH on VSC, and of MACH on MSC, were positive; but (3)…

New York State's rural educational institutions offer opportunities needed by the state but their potentials go unrecognized by educational policymakers. Rural colleges, secondary schools, and Boards of Educational Services (BOCES) are funded at a lower level than urban counterparts at a time when most rural areas are experiencing population…

This study examined the structure of adolescent self-concept (SC) structure for males and females by using three different measures of each SC facet in a covariance structure analysis of the data. Specifically, the purposes of the study were to: (1) test the hypothesis of the invariance of a multidimensional, hierarchical SC structure for males…

Intimacy as experienced in best friendships was studied with respect to sex differences and sex roles, the development of components of intimacy in childhood and adolescence, and the possible interrelationship of intimacy and ego identity. Instruments included items from: (1) The Self-Perception Inventory; (2) The Gender-Role Assignment Scale; (3)…

A study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of audiotape cassette technology in delivering professional, graduate-level distance education programs to adult audiences, and to compare this method with traditional classroom instruction. Specific elements of student-teacher rapport, pacing, and attitudes towards the audiotaped course were…

Three studies compared the characteristics, preparation, and job satisfaction of male and female vocational agriculture teachers. The first was a national survey of teacher educators and administrators from 64 institutions (of 79 originally contacted) that prepare high school agriculture teachers. The other two studies examined the entire…

This report investigates six differences in promotions to administrative positions in elementary and secondary education and assesses the influence of affirmative action and equal employment opportunity enforcement. Conclusions are based on longitudinal data from Oregon and New York for thousands of individual educators employed during the 1970's…

The effects of school factors on occupational attainment of black students were studied based on data from the 1972 National Longitudinal Study (NLS) and its 1980 followup and the 1980 High School and Beyond (HSB) study and its 1982 followup. The sample sizes were as follows: 319 NLS females, 167 NLS males, 324 HSB females, and 259 HSB males.…

This paper traces the development of the educational system of Botswana, a small south African country of one million, emphasizing its democratic origins and customs, historical influences, social trends, and economic support. Changes in the educational system, especially in universal primary education, since its independence from Great Britain in…