Following a conference on reading and study skill development in secondary schools, the seven independent schools involved were asked to describe how they develop the skills needed by their students. The resulting report includes a discussion of the problems involved in teaching study skills and offers descriptions of the following: a small…

Intended to spur policy makers, practitioners, parents, and other interested individuals to reopen rural educational issues, this volume explores "conventional wisdom" (the widely accepted assumptions and theories about rural education) and examines its merits in light of both accumulated experience and recent research. The text is…

In March of 1973 the superintendent of the Montgomery County schools appointed a task force of community representatives, principals, teachers, area and central office staff members, and county government representatives to develop recommendations on small elementary schools. The task force concluded that school size is not the determining factor…

Via group administered questionnaires, the educational aspirations of a statewide sample of 1,659 male and 1,838 female South Carolina 10th grade students were examined in 1965-66 and again in 1968-69 when they were seniors. Forty-two schools were selected to represent all high schools in the state and were stratified by size (measured by the…

Reports on research combining quantitative data and qualitative case-studies to examine factors affecting standards in Papua New Guinea's provincial high schools. Concludes that school effects are relatively more important in developing than in developed nations and that only some school effectiveness literature can be generalized to the Third…

Uses Cherry County, Nebraska, to exemplify current experiences of learning and teaching in a one-room school--Nebraska has 350 of the nation's nearly 800 one-room schools. Interviews parents and teachers who cherish their one-room schools because they provide quality education, convenience (relative to consolidated schools), and support for rural…

Three schools in Minnesota have designed a shared-resource project to address the areas of career, gifted and talented, and chemical and drug education, to provide guidance and counseling services, to add and enhance course offerings, and to develop an individualized instruction program (IEP) for every tenth- and eleventh-grade student. (MM)

Downsizing schools--creating small schools, schools-within-schools, and small learning communities--has been a highly favored school reform strategy of recent years, one that is supported by considerable research. Yet for many of these schools, the going has not been easy, bedeviled by bureaucratic resistance, public misunderstanding, and…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 poses unique challenges for rural schools and districts. Small schools are more likely to be labeled as needing improvement due to the volatility of annual test scores for small student populations. Rural districts are limited in their capacity to provide parents with school choice, and rural districts face…

In 1993, New York City tried a different way of changing failing schools. A large failing high school was closed, and in its place were created four small high schools, a small elementary school, an infant and toddler program, a day care center for children of adolescent parents, and a medical clinic. Over a period of 3 or 4 years the building was…

This report, which focuses on improving education in rural Nebraska, grew out of a 2-week teachers' institute held in Walthill, Nebraska, in June 1993. "Introduction: The Vision of Community-Based Schools and the Future of Rural Places" (Toni Haas, Paul Nachtigal) examines current civic and social trends in rural communities and the role…

Educators in intentionally small schools in Chicago are working to create a climate that is inviting, engaging, and challenging to some of the most academically disadvantaged students. Over a period of 18 months, data were collected from eight intentionally small schools that included elementary, middle, and high schools; freestanding schools;…

The courses U.S. high school students select, differences in course offerings across different types of schools, and course-taking patterns by race, gender, and socioeconomic status were studied. In general, the study found that public, secular private, and Catholic schools were more similar than different in their course offerings. Most striking…

This report presents data on enrollments, budgets, levies, costs per pupil, and teacher and staff salaries in Montana's smallest (Class "C") school districts for 2002-03. Class C indicates high school enrollment of 130 students or less. Surveys were received from 69 of 93 public schools and 1 of 5 nonpublic schools in the category. The…

The ancient Athenian "agora" functioned as a marketplace for ideas and commerce and offered an ideal place for teaching and learning. This digest suggests adapting such a model to modern needs and describes successful small schools that have done so while reducing costs. Research shows that small schools offer many advantages for…