The Rural Aide Model is a proven, functional model in which an aide or para-professional is trained in the components of the Teaching Research Data Based Classroom Model and provides individual instruction, under the supervision of a certified teacher, to one or two children with handicapping conditions. Usually the instruction occurs within the…

In an effort to gather information on the status of special education programs in rural areas, visits were made to 33 school districts in 14 states representing 4 different administrative organizations (intermediate school districts, cooperatives, county systems, single districts) and 5 geographical regions. School populations ranged from 850 to…

Federal statistics reveal that 59.5 million Americans live outside urban areas, and the public school students who live in these rural areas constitute the largest minority public school population in this country; however, the lion's share of attention, research, and federal and state financial support goes to large schools in metropolitan areas.…

A 20-item questionnaire determined and compared attitudes of 996 public school teachers and administrators in 83 rural Tennessee counties concerning curriculum development, course content, school environment, individualized instruction, philosophical parameters, student evaluation, and extracurricular activities. Both teachers and administrators…

Four case studies conducted by the Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory (McREL) Rural Education Project examined four clusters of rural schools and their efforts to improve schooling by collaborating and sharing resources. The Mid-Missouri Small School Consortium involved five rural school districts in efforts to incorporate…

Evaluation of a 3-year transition education program at the Pingelly School in Western Australia used data from 29 students and staff interviews, direct observation, and document analysis to compare 4 projects established to improve the employability of students (in particular, Aboriginal students and girls who were at highest risk of being early…

This guide introduced 18 separate components designed to assist state department of education personnel, guidance supervisors, and guidance counselors in training others to understand and utilize the "Rural America Series," a framework for the development, implementation, and evaluation of grades K-14 career guidance programs for rural…

This module, one of a series designed for facilitators training rural career guidance program staff, is designed to give participants a better understanding of the career development needs of students in rural schools--schools that often have limited resources. After the module is introduced, participants complete a warm-up activity, i.e., a…

This staff training module presents a program for group career counseling in rural and small schools. Module contents are based on two handbooks: "An Individualized Approach to Career Counseling and Placement" and "Career Counseling in the Rural School." An active dialog about the current status of counseling in rural schools…

This module underscores the need for evaluation in order to collect baseline data to monitor progress and to make decisions about needed changes in rural school career guidance programs. Evaluation is a process that occurs during planning and is used to monitor progress, and, later, to assess overall program impact. After a delineation of commonly…

This paper summarizes arguments surrounding the closing of Hisel School in Jackson County, Kentucky, in an effort to analyze the debate on rural education in Appalachia and how it relates to school-community relationships. Events surrounding closure of the school are summarized, including a two-year period in which a school community volunteer…

This booklet surveys the possibilities in instituting a 4-day school week, an approach which has gained favor in some small school districts. The history of the 4-day week and its characteristics are first described. Drawing on case studies of districts that have begun the 4-day schedule, the authors enumerate the steps in proposing and…

The 80-year history of education at Eagle on the Yukon (Alaska) includes 40 years when a dual system (white-Indian) was in operation, times when only one school was open, and changes following statehood. Eagle City was founded in 1898; the first white school opened in 1901 with seven students. The Indians lived at Eagle Village, 3 miles upriver.…

This review explores the debate on optimal school size and discusses policy options available to states for expanding curricular offerings in small rural schools. Policy options are divided into three broad categories: traditional, modified traditional, and nontraditional. The report explores the possibilities available under each approach,…

The extent and degree of student alcohol and drug involvement--and possible factors relating to the involvement--were examined in a study of 1,503 Nebraska high school students in 6 small rural schools and in 1 larger school (949 students) located in a medium-sized trade center. The survey was undertaken as a needs assessment in preparation for a…