This document provides current and historical information about rural education in Manitoba, Canada. The report's eight sections and the information they provide are as follows: (1) "Background" emphasizes the importance of education to rural residents, and describes the trend toward education for all ages; (2) "Early Education in…

The curricular and extracurricular responsibilities of teaching in a small school district require uniquely prepared teachers. Rural teachers often need additional background in instructional methods for teaching reading, content areas other than their specialty, discipline techniques, use of community resources, and individualized diagnosis and…

This paper examines rural high school students' educational and occupational expectations and their relationships to personal, educational, school, and family characteristics. Questionnaires were distributed to all 10th and 12th graders in four small rural high schools in diverse geographic regions of Ohio. Almost all of the 491 respondents were…

School consolidation or reorganization continues to be a controversial issue in rural areas, with many contentions and claims about the advantages and disadvantages of small schools at the center of the debate. In fall 1986, a Nebraska survey examined attitudes toward school size and reorganization issues among school board presidents. Respondents…

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…

In Iowa, shared superintendency originated in the 1980s as a response to the agricultural recession of the 1980s which had tightened Iowa's public school finance. Iowa lost 80,000 people through out-migration and about 10,000 fewer births occurred, while the school student population decreased by 181,670 during this same period. While nearly every…

Designed to help educators and policymakers consider the effective use of currently-evolving distance learning technologies, this policy brief examines: (1) the need for distance learning; (2) the most promising combinations of technologies (two-way television, one-way television with audio return, and audiographics); (3) the cost-effectiveness of…

In this collection, 32 Alaskan principals, retired principals, assistant principals, and principals-to-be share their experiences as administrators and reflect on their feelings about the nature of the work and about schooling issues in Alaska. Nine of the writings were selected from "Totem Tales," the newsletter of Alaska's Association…

Rural schools are having difficulty recruiting and retaining teachers. The national teacher turnover rate is 6% annually, but in rural areas reaches 30% to 50%. Rural teachers often leave due to social, cultural, geographic, and professional isolation. They are often unprepared for rural realities that demand knowledge in multiple subjects and…

The state-of-the-art of three technological capabilities (i.e., audio, computer, and video) is discussed and descriptions of some interesting applications in rural and small schools are provided. Audio and audiographic technologies discussed include radio and telephone as well as voice-grade telephone lines which facilitate transmission of visual…

The arts should be considered part of the basic content of any school curriculum. The arts teach us about the central nature of what it means to be human. They are an essential part of the curriculum for all learners across all ranges of abilities and talents in all schools, but perhaps especially in rural schools, where access to museums, the…

The one room school is a challenging educational setting for both teacher and student. Isolation of the school, limited availability of educational resources, and the demanding role of the school as the only formal educational institution within the community are conditions which make classroom efficiency an important consideration for the…

Small and rural schools can use the new technologies of distance education to broaden curricular offerings while facing low student enrollments and increased costs. Courses offered via audio teleconferencing permit live teacher/student interaction and often use videotape as well as two-way audio components. Programs from the University of…

The rural work ethic, a strong sense of community togetherness, and the absence of class distinction help rural schools avoid the politics that often stand in the way of education in larger urban and suburban schools. Factors contributing to successful schools include clear goals, good principals who know how to motivate faculty, faculty who know…

A 1985 mail survey of 97 rural schools and 53 coastal (urban/suburban) schools in Queensland, Australia, investigated teacher characteristics, problems, and needs. Respondents included 504 rural teachers, 215 rural parents, 405 coastal teachers, and 179 coastal parents. The results confirm many previous findings about teaching in rural Australia.…