This report details findings from visits to 15 small schools associated with Human Scale Education. These schools are all different, reflecting the priorities of their founders. But there are features common to all of them--parental involvement, democratic processes, environmentally sustainable values, spiritual values, links with the local…

In 1992, George Wood left academia to become the principal of a poor and struggling high school in rural Ohio. In 3 years, Federal Hocking High School became one of the region's top schools. This book offers guidelines, practical plans, and advice based on Wood's observations and experiences at Federal Hocking High. It focuses on the real issue…

This manual offers practical advice to educators on conducting a job search and obtaining a position in Alaska. Alaska Teacher Placement (University of Alaska Fairbanks) is a statewide clearinghouse for the placement of educators. Although Alaska's certification requirements are similar to those of other states, school administrators are also…

Indicates the need for a return to some basic interpersonal communication within a school system, to eliminate negative attitudes. Specifically, talk yourselves up, publicize school events in local media, get on Board of Education agenda, invite parents in more often, and look for good things happening within your school. (MH)

Now is the time for an image change in small school education. Based on the 1981 Coleman Report, small school education overflows with advantages: low student-teacher ratio, opportunity to view each student in a holistic way, and the ability to control the behavior of the student body as a whole. (LC)

Addressing rural school leaders, this article suggests solutions to six common problems regarding curriculum development in small schools: past neglect of comprehensive curriculum studies and resultant teacher apathy; teacher turnover; limited number of teachers per grade or subject area; inadequate time for curriculum work; inadequate financing;…

Case study of a small elementary school in rural New South Wales (Australia) found that the community's history, the size of the school, and the relationship between school staff, students, and stakeholders contributed to development of a learning community. Suggests that becoming a learning community involves an ongoing, developmental, and…

Overviews factors influencing personnel evaluations and school improvement efforts in rural schools. Reports on a national study of elementary school teachers that revealed no relationship among personnel evaluations, student outcomes, and school improvement efforts. Suggests that school improvement programs include personnel evaluations that…

Compares behaviors of superintendents in two neighboring small, rural school districts, one of which had exceptional student achievement. Concludes that the effective rural superintendent exhibits many of the behaviors observed in effective inner-city principals, and may be the pivotal figure in promoting effective rural education. (SV)

Summarizes responses from 263 districts from 37 states drawn from a sample of districts with student enrollment of less than 800. The study found there is an overwhelming inability of local districts to fund capital outlay at levels needed to keep their buildings adequate, safe, and accessible. (MLF)

School or district size was found to interact with socioeconomic status to influence student achievement in West Virginia; small schools facilitated the achievement of impoverished students, whereas large schools facilitated the achievement of affluent students. Addresses implications for educational policy and future research into effects of…

A U.S. Department of Education study shows that the average 12th-grade African-American student is reading and doing math at around the level of the average 8th-grade white or Asian student. Hispanic students are about as far behind. Both African-Americans and Hispanic college students obtain diplomas at half the rate of white or Asian students.…

Rural education has been routinely neglected as one aspect of diversity teachers may encounter in their career. As teacher educators at a large public university, the authors seek to prepare students for teaching in a variety of environments. In their study, while rural field placements were not feasible, a structured field trip offered students…

This report presents data on budgets, levies, enrollments, costs per pupil, and teacher salaries in Montana's small rural (Class "C") school districts for fiscal year 1996-97. Data are based on survey responses from 86 of the 98 public schools and 3 of the 5 private schools in the Class "C" category. The range of Class…

While existing research on school and school district size is not as conclusive as policymakers might wish, it does point toward several new policy directions. Some relevant findings and recommendations are: (1) a larger school or district enrollment does not guarantee desirable results; (2) recommended school sizes have been declining over time,…