This newsletter reports research findings from 31 rural New York school districts on teacher recruitment and retention. Of 31 superintendents interviewed in September 1987, 55% reported rising elementary enrollment; 61% had difficulty filling positions; 84% had too few applicants; and 68% reported a scarcity of appropriately certified applicants.…

Despite the adoption of special state funding formulas that address the needs of small schools, Utah educators have continued to observe an imbalance in academic performance between rural and urban students. This report examines: academic achievement in Utah's small schools; factors related to school size that may influence academic achievement;…

This paper describes an American Indian reservation's alternative secondary school which was designed to improve high risk students' attendance, basic skills, and self-image in preparation for transition to the public high school. Students: (1) had been expelled from public or boarding school; (2) had been referred by a social service agency; (3)…

Academic and social performance of 204 high school students who had attended one-teacher rural elementary schools in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Montana was investigated to determine if small school students were disadvantaged in a larger high school setting. Data gathered by questionnaires from students, school administrators, and counselors…

Following inquiry into small elementary school evaluation processes, a system of evaluation was developed which proposes to standardize and make more efficient already existing forms of evaluation, improve communication among school staff on matters of education and evaluation, and insure that all critical matters of schooling are openly reviewed…

Three telecourse programs offering high school credit courses via interactive satellite communication are described and evaluated. German by Satellite and Physics by Satellite from Oklahoma State University feature biweekly 40-minute broadcasts with audio interaction via regular telephone lines and microcomputer voice recognition software at…

During the past 14 years, the elementary rural teacher training program at Brigham Young University (BYU), Utah, has successfully provided an 8-week student teaching experience which has assisted more than 250 prospective teachers in comparing their lifestyle and interests with those of rural America. Student participants are required to live with…

Using data produced by a 1987 national survey of approximately 2,400 rural school board presidents, district superintendents, principals, and teachers, this report focuses on special concerns and strengths revealed by 351 respondents from rural, small schools in 7 Northeastern states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York,…

The nine units in the curriculum guide on energy options focus on energy from coal, the sun, petroleum, the wind, water, and trees; and on heat pumps, energy conservation, and agriculture and energy. The units are comprised of from two to seven lessons. Each lesson contains objectives, approximate time, procedure, evaluation questions or methods,…

Although much that is written about rural schools focuses on economic scarcities, pressures on teachers, and limited materials, there are also distinct advantages offered to those attending school in rural areas. Small schools provide all children--including the gifted--with unique opportunities to develop intellectual, social, and creative…

During the summer of 1983, a team from Mankato State University, Minnesota, surveyed 65 community residents, 85 school staff and board members, and 337 grade 6-12 students to measure attitudes toward the effectiveness of the pairing of the Russell and Tyler (Minnesota) school districts which occurred at the beginning of the 1981-82 school year.…

Representing a broad cross section of data bearing on the operation and performance of public schools in New Mexico during the school year 1979-80, the document presents data on school district characteristics, teacher characteristics, pupil characteristics, school finance, high school graduates, American College Testing (ACT) results, and results…

Issues are discussed that graduate students may want to consider before seeking positions at small colleges. The discussion is based on perspectives gained from about 50 interviews as well as 50-60 resumes received from graduate students in psychology. Attention is directed to: enculturation of graduate school norms and their relation to job…

Rural education may be the beneficiary of the current national focus on educational reform since concerns have centered on improving education for all students regardless of where they live, a direction not emphasized in most previous reform movements. The reforms bring challenges relating to teacher certification, curriculum, facilities, student…

Questionnaires returned by 402 of a total of 672 teachers in one-teacher schools surveyed in spring 1984 provided data on these teachers and the students, schools, and communities they served. Findings indicated an estimated 800 one-teacher schools operating in 28 states, with the largest number 385, in Nebraska. Average enrollment was 11…