Questionnaires mailed to a sample of teachers, students, and parents in Western Australia and Northwestern Ontario (Canada) were used to study the effects of isolation on rural education. Although the geographical distance may permeate all aspects of isolation, three discrete types of isolation emerged from the responses--social, cultural, and…

Compensating effects of Alberta's Small School Jurisdiction Grant (SSJG) were examined. Districts with 1,000-1,499 students had lowest per-pupil cost; districts with 500-999 had highest. Greatest expenses were salaries and utilities. SSJG funds perpetuated small school jurisdictions--but did not encourage their establishment--and generally seemed…

Suggests that small, rural schools take interest inventories of teachers and students to improve the quality of education by taking a closer look at courses offered and the qualifications of teachers responsible for them. (MH)

Over the last several years, an understanding has been developing within the literature as to those elements which can best combine to produce increased student achievement within a small school environment. Many see such elements as, relationships, standards, rigor, student engagement, and others as part of a comprehensive whole. What is not…

Today's schools are responding to the pressing need for positive student-teacher relationships that promote successful learning and prevent dropouts and violence. To meet this challenge, many secondary schools are reorganizing around smaller schools or "houses" and structuring longer blocks of learning time. Authors Elliot Y. Merenbloom and…

Kensington High School is a neighborhood school located in the Kensington area of Philadelphia. After a successful campaign led by Youth United for Change, Kensington High School was broken up into three small schools, with a fourth to be built. Youth researchers explored the relationships between adults and students in all three of the new small…

Complying with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has presented special problems for small, rural, and isolated schools. This document presents results of surveys and interviews of county and district superintendents, principals, teachers, trustees, and curriculum directors of small, rural, and isolated schools in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon,…

This study examined the relationship between a small rural school in northeast Georgia and its surrounding community. Three teachers, two community members, and three students used cameras to collect data related to their perceptions of the school-community relationship. They created photographs, then wrote about their photos, and finally, held…

The aim of school councils in New South Wales (Australia) is to ensure that the whole community is involved in all important decisions made by the school. The impetus for school councils began in 1990, and in 1995 the Department of School Education placed their formation on its priority agenda in response to their slow rate of establishment. Two…

This publication is intended to help foundation program officers, educators, and organizers use the Education Organizing Indicators Framework to understand the contribution that community organizing makes to school reform. The Framework is the product of a study that examined five community groups to document how organized groups of parents and…

The PACERS Small Schools Cooperative is an association of 29 small public schools in 25 communities in rural Alabama whose goal is to keep schools open by making visible their viability. To that end, the schools of the cooperative develop appropriate curricular and extracurricular opportunities for schools and students that involve the people in…

This paper explores three programs that are innovatively helping U.S. immigrant students become educated, productive, full-fledged citizens. New York's International High School at LaGuardia Community College, which serves immigrant students only, has extremely high attendance and graduation rates. A top priority is increasing personalization for…

A dissertation study identified factors inherent in Montana's smallest schools that attract and retain teachers. Questionnaires were completed by 126 certified elementary teachers in 107 elementary school districts with a student enrollment of 40 students or less. Factors were categorized using the "four spheres of influence":…

A 2-year study of small Chicago schools found that small schools, especially small high schools, help students succeed. The study focused on about 150 small schools founded in Chicago during 1990-97 and their progress through 1999. Elementary schools had fewer than 350 students; high schools fewer than 400 students. Quantitative analyses covered…

In Ontario, nearly half of the elementary schools have fewer than 300 students, and one quarter of the high schools have fewer than 600 students. However, the province's funding formula was designed for larger schools. Small schools in Ontario are operating without adequate staff and resources and are at risk of being closed. Since 1999, 192…