This volume addresses the feasibility of operating small schools as the mainstay of the public school system. Research evidence indicates that small schools are associated with better student outcomes and that they make personal attention, academic focus, and experiential curricula possible. The premise that small schools are more expensive has…

The experience of Central Pennsylvania's Keystone Central School District (KCSD) illustrated how microcomputers can help solve some of the characteristic problems of rural schools. KCSD's Renovo Elementary School has 3 stand-alone microcomputers and the district's Buckeye High School has 12 networked microcomputers. One major benefit of the…

Case studies were conducted at the state and local level in Texas to evaluate the impact of the Carl Perkins Vocational Education Act. Changes in vocational education at the state level that could be attributed to the Carl Perkins Act (CPA) included: (1) a smaller state advisory council with a majority representing business and industry; (2) a…

An annotated list of 183 books, journal articles, ERIC documents and bibliographies, and 8 organizations attempts to meet the needs or rural administrators, teachers, and college faculty in the area served by Black Hills State College, Spearfish, South Dakota. Publication dates for items listed range from 1944 to 1982, with the majority occurring…

A study of two neighboring rural school districts in New York State was undertaken to determine if differences in educational quality existed between the two communities--Applegate and Bakerville--and to identify factors affecting educational quality. Comparison of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics included racial and ethnic…

Key points of presentations are captured in this report of a conference which addressed issues of concern to educators in Alaska's small schools. A total of 119 presentations are briefly summarized. Contents are organized under five headings: effective leadership strategies, curriculum and instruction, computers and telecommunication, assessment,…

Despite increased per pupil cost of programs, facilities, and certified personnel caused by low student enrollments, small rural high schools can offer broad and diverse curricula. This paper briefly describes 31 model programs used by small and rural high schools to maintain or expand curriculum offerings and lists advantages and disadvantages of…

Although the existence of small Catholic elementary schools (enrollment: 300 or less) is precarious, these institutions enable students to succeed academically beyond national norms, due to the special learning environment that they provide. The recent Small Schools Survey of Catholic elementary schools indicated that classes in small Catholic…

This curriculum unit on oceans for grades K-8 contains lesson plans, vocabulary lists, core activities, resource lists, and a student evaluation worksheet developed by rural Gallatin County, Montana, teachers as part of an inservice Rural Schools Integrated Curriculum Project administered by the Montana State University College of Education. The…

The thematic, integrated subject curriculum presented in this comprehensive teacher's guide is based on a study of Gallatin County's local history and is intended to enrich students' perceptions of their rural Montana culture, heritage, and environment, and provide them with a knowledge base for decision making about the future. Introductory…

Conducted by the Council for Educational Development and Research, a national survey asked educators representing the nation's 8,889 small, rural school districts to indicate which of 40 items/issues facing rural, small schools needed improvement. The 4,364 respondents (827 school board presidents, 1,251 district superintendents, 1,283 principals,…

Based on results from a sample of the entire Montana public high school system and 5 Montana teacher training institutions, followed by a telephone survey of 15 superintendents/curriculum directors and directors of placement from the 5 institutions used in the original study, there were indeed definite hiring preferences shown toward applicant…

Focusing on two isolated rural communities in South Australia which have experienced a sense of isolation for a long time (The South-East and Eyre Peninsula), the paper presents an examination of the pattern of educational needs and interest of residents in isolated rural communities, and their relation to the changing social and educational…

The handbook provides a model for beginning and operating programs for talented/gifted students in rural schools, K-12, based on a program developed in Shasta County, California, in 1976-77 and disseminated nationwide in 1978-79. The model produces individualized programs planned by a committee composed of the student, classroom teacher(s),…

A study of historical background of the frontier and rural schools in Colorado describes education in the United State in general and the development of the educational process and school facilities during five phases of Colorado's economic and political development. "The Nation" discusses philosophies generally held during the middle…