A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the degree to which teacher training programs in 4-year public colleges and universities include rural education as part of their teacher education program. Questionnaires were mailed to college of education deans and chairpersons at each of the 473 4-year public colleges and universities in the…

Questionnaires were mailed in 1986 to school board presidents in small rural districts across the United States in order to identify the characteristics of successful rural school superintendents and the qualities that rural school boards look for when hiring a superintendent. There were 93 usable responses from 28 states. Analysis of the…

The American College Testing (ACT) scores of New Mexico public high school graduates who applied for admission to New Mexico State University in 1981 were analyzed to determine the relationship between ACT scores and school size. The schools were divided into 6 categories according to enrollment: less than 100 students (15 applicants), 100-199…

Adults in a multi-ethnic, small, rural school district were surveyed to determine their evaluation and expectations of district schools. Of the 301 respondents, 72% were Jicarilla Apache/other Indian, 14% Spanish/Mexican, and 14% Anglo; most were aged 19-45; 81% had completed high school; 76% were employed. Respondents rated the elementary, high,…

The eighth module of the Rural America staff training series is designed to help individuals gain a better understanding of the placement process. The module begins with a brief introduction to placement in terms of definitions and the current status of placement in the participants' schools, addressing questions of who provides leadership for…

This module attempts to put participants into contact with the limited or stereotyped manner in which most of us view our world. By doing so, it sets the stage for examining ways to bring parents, employers, and school staff to an expanded world view, particularly as that view encourages wider career opportunities for youth. Training in developing…

The capabilities of a distance education system to enhance instructional programs of small schools by providing equity and increasing quality of educational opportunity, providing access to subject matter and subject matter experts, and providing interaction and joint activities with students in other schools are of sufficient merit to formulate…

Isolated by distance and geographic barriers from population centers, services, current information, and opportunities, 15 of Nevada's 17 school districts are not simply rural, but are remote. Servicing districts that average fewer than 2 people per square mile, 21 elementary schools have only 1 teacher. Sixteen high schools have enrollments of…

Reporting on educational conditions and facilities for children in isolated areas of Australia, this document presents findings and recommendations submitted by the Australian Senate Standing Committee on Education and the Arts as per their two-year investigation. Areas considered in this report are: extent of the problem; schools in isolated…

Teacher duties and curriculum developed by North Dakota, in deciding what role teachers would play in the community and what standards of conformity and propriety would be applied to teachers, mirrored certain aspects of the local culture and reflected a wider national culture. The inclusion of health studies reflected the local majority concern…

This part of the Country School Legacy: Humanities on the Frontier Project, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and sponsored by the Mountain Plains Library Association, traces the biases faced by female school teachers in Utah from the nineteenth century to the present. First, there is a description of the early…

Nine North Dakota school districts, containing fewer than 40 teachers each, were selected and agreed to particpate in a 1976 study of the extent of professional activities by teachers and their level of morale. A survey instrument, developed to determine level of involvement in professional activities, contained questions pertaining to: membership…

The introduction, "Education and Local Development," provides a theme of rural education and development, with emphasis on widening the limits of programs and facilities to serve all age groups. International perspectives on rural education are infused into the 20 selected papers through the participation of several authorities from…

Because demographic and social changes in rural communities also affect small and rural school environments, schools must consider the impact of community change and plan accordingly. Rural school administrators, who are visible and respected, know how to work with groups, and understand the local community, are well qualified to provide their…

Devoted to the visual arts, this volume of the Washington Small Schools Curriculum for grades K-3 utilizes the format of presenting learning objectives with recommended grade placement levels and suggesting activities, monitoring procedures and resources used in teaching the objectives. Chapter 1, Color, presents painter's terms, growth…