The Old Order Amish, or Mennonites, are a religious sect that represents both a traditional and changing culture. Their conservatism is evidenced in their rural way of life, large families of 8 to 12 children, use of horse drawn farm machinery and transportation, nonuse of electricity, and uniformity of dress. The Old Order Amish also present a…

Advances in satellite technology hold great promise for offering a broad and varied curriculum in small rural schools. In 1985 and 1986 three vendors in the continental United States pioneered the offering of interactive satellite instruction for high school credit courses. The programs were: (1) German by Satellite offered by the College of Arts…

This research gauged the impact of school size on student achievement by modelling the educational process and then examining the influence of size on that process. Using data for students and teachers from over 300 districts nationwide, the analysis identified factors that differ significantly between smaller and larger schools. There are fewer…

A 9-month project examined the potential for technology to assist rural schools in their programs, identified exemplary programs using technology in rural school districts, and resulted in the production of a guide for rural administrators and teachers on successful uses of technology (issued separately). Technologies investigated included…

Motivated by the widespread assumption that voluntary, independent inter-district resource sharing is a strategy for improving educational opportunities in rural areas (with little or no cost to the operation of the school district), this paper critically examines resource sharing in New York State. A review of the literature between 1960 and the…

The entire population of teachers (N=132) in 10 small schools (fewer than 350 students grades 7-12) and 17 other secondary teachers involved in innovative projects were surveyed by questionnaire to examine personal and organizational factors that might explain teachers' receptivity to change. Both groups responded to scales of receptivity to…

Designed to provide specific, practical help for educators in starting or improving school public relations programs, this guide presents views from the superintendent of a small district who is his own public relations person; from a public relations director of a large suburban district; and from a public relations administrator of one of the…

Rural education is characterized by diversity, isolation, and small enrollments. Because of these characteristics, equity in rural school finance is very difficult to achieve. Lacking a workable taxonomy which can accommodate the variations in rural reality, there is neither the information to accurately assess the adequacy of educational programs…

Paul Hurder's model of the service delivery process (plus an organization variable) was used to examine factors which influenced effectiveness of special education resource teachers in small, rural elementary schools serving 250 or less English-speaking students in Quebec. Five resource teachers and 72 teachers they served rated each other in…

To assess the need for elementary school counselors, 75 superintendents of school districts thoughout the province as well as 200 elementary school parents, 80 teachers, 4 principals, and 200 students from a small, rural school district in the British Columbia interior were surveyed using self-report questionnaires. The assessment provided…

Questionnaires surveying the extent of programs and support for education of the gifted and talented were received from 60 teachers and administrators in rural elementary and secondary schools in Nebraska's 11 most western counties. (The return rate of the mailed questionnaires was 24%). Results indicated that teachers and administrators…

The Windber Area School District (Pennsylvania) has combatted "bigness" and impersonality by developing schools-within-a-school, a concept which has particular application for large clusters of grade strata. Although there are several ways to group students, in Windber every two grades (7 through 12) constitute a unit which has its own…

Using 1975-76 school-year data, the study describes New Mexico size adjustment factors for public school funding, compares them with the manner in which other states recognize smallness or sparsity, and delineates the impact of size adjustment factors on New Mexico school districts in terms of resources, net operational and proportionate…

By following the Washington Small Schools Curriculum format of listing learning objectives with recommended grade placement levels and suggested activities, monitoring procedures, and resources used in teaching, this music curriculum for grades K-3 encourages teacher involvement and decision making. Goals for the program focus on the student,…

A GRADUATE CLASS OF VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE TEACHERS PREPARED THIS PUBLICATION DEALING WITH NEEDED CURRICULUM CHANGES IN VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE, PARTICULARLY IN THE SMALL HIGH SCHOOL OF 100 TO 300 STUDENTS. PART I, ON OCCUPATIONAL EDUCATION FOR BOTH FARMING AND OFF-FARM AGRICULTURAL OCCUPATIONS, COVERS OBJECTIVES, CAREERS, EMPHASIS, CURRICULUM…