The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 calls for each state to develop and implement a comprehensive system of personnel development (CSPD) to train special education personnel. Support for training activities has depended heavily on federal funds. However, in 1988, the basis for allocation of federal funds to such training…

The book takes a nostalgic look at one-room schools in the United States Midwest, especially in Illinois, and traces their history from about 1825 to the present. Three chapters present the development of the one-room school from 1825 to the Civil War, from after the Civil War to around 1920, and from 1920 through the Depression and the Second…

Using a questionnaire, researchers surveyed 319 public high schools, each with fewer than 500 students, in 46 states to determine the extent and use of microcomputers in small high schools, to assess the use and users of correspondence courses in small schools, to identify the most frequently offered courses in small high school curricula, and to…

Having a sound budget based on an effective school philosophy is one way to provide for quality programming in reservation schools. The Ganado Unified School District, located on the Arizona part of the Navajo Reservation, attempted to decentralize the budget-making process and to study whether the current budget effectively supported the school's…

This study compares 1988 National Merit Scholars enrolled in rural public schools with a senior class smaller than 99 students to other merit scholars and the national sample of SAT takers. Rural scholars were more likely to be female (45.5%) and Caucasian (98%) than other scholars. Involvement in extracurricular activities was significantly…

This proceedings contains the conference program, a list of presenters, and profiles of keynote speakers. Program descriptions are provided for the 10 1989 Exemplary Rural and Small Schools Program award winners chosen by the National Rural and Small Schools Consortium, and for the 7 1989 Exemplary Rural Special Education Program award winners…

The needs of rural teachers differ significantly from those of teachers who begin their careers in urban and suburban districts, where staff and resources are more plentiful. Significant problems exist in finding and retaining rural teachers. This paper presents findings of a 1988 survey of 256 small or rural schools in four Southern California…

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…

In 1987, a project was initiated in Thailand to develop a prototype to be used as a standard design for the construction of rural secondary schools in all areas of the country. The project had three objectives: (1) to derive architectural designs for classroom and auxiliary buildings that could be constructed within available budgets and would be…

This information packet contains 48 reprinted articles dealing with resources allocation in rural and small schools. A number of articles have a direct rural focus, while others cover the more general issues and principles surrounding resource allocation. The packet is divided into the following sections: (1) an overview of budget development…

The discovery and use of community resources are necessary if the school is to assume the role of social agent and if the curriculum is to bring about desirable changes in the student and the community. This 1939 Yearbook sought to provide rural teachers with a philosophy concerning the school-community relationship and examples of programs…

This book, published in 1941, is a collection of articles that emphasize the value of teaching the "tool" or basic skills: reading, elementary mathematics, language arts, "and their subdivisions." The book emphasizes the value of using the environment and experiences of rural children in teaching these subjects. Chapter 1…

Evidence suggests that tracking of students on the secondary level may not only be discriminatory, but also counterproductive to the personal, educational, and economic potential of all students. The English and Social Studies department of Oak Hill High School, in Wales, Maine, developed an intervention program concerning heterogeneous grouping…

Suggestions for publicizing unique qualities and successes of rural and small schools use existing communication channels to emphasize positive attributes and help change the negative. Tips include: tell students, parents, and community about school goals, highlight student and staff achievement, reiterate the school's responsibility to the…

In rural areas the responsibility for good school-community relations rests with the principal, who must develop a strategy for community relations, understand the people of the community and their values, and know their formal and informal leaders. School principals can use various strategies to increase community involvement. They can simply…