Local school districts differ in their ability to pay for teacher quality, and in the amenities they offer as places to live and work. Market clearing with heterogeneous quality yields geographically varying teacher salary levels that confound scarcity with unobserved differences in quality. The paper discusses identification and estimation of a…

Reviews lessons learned from research in Antarctica with relevance to understanding human behavior in other isolated and confined environments. Outlines four distinct characteristics of psychosocial adaptation to such environments and discusses some of the benefits for individuals seeking challenging experiences. (Contains references.) (SLD)

The example of the formation of a learning community in a Yukon Island retreat center demonstrates the influence of context and the importance of community building. Organic learning occurs through the synthesis of the natural environment, the community, and the learning process. (SK)

A case example is used to illustrate ways of adapting service provision for a range of difficulties to suit a person with learning disabilities and also where there may be limited access due to a remote and rural location.

At the Western Institute of Technical and Further Education (WITAFE) in New South Wales (NSW), vocational education and training (VET) courses are being delivered to students in isolated homesteads and remote Aboriginal communities by Interactive Distance eLearning (IDL). IDL provides satellite-supported two-way broadband voice, one-way video and…

While there has been research into the provision of "distance" and "off-campus" education, both in relation to technology and to curriculum, little attention has been given to the experiences of students studying in geographically remote locations, where the remoteness has been an aspect of investigation. This study aimed to…

A university consortium developed a continuing-education series for rural Pennsylvania nurses using videoconferencing. The program was well received by participants and proven a viable method of delivery to isolated areas. (SK)

Oral history courses offered in the Cambridgeshire Fenland of England were designed to widen participation of isolated and disadvantaged adults and develop transferable skills in communication, information technology, and working together. The focus on these key skills was intended to raise self-esteem and increase self-assessment abilities. (SK)

Remote Networked Schools (RNS) is an initiative by the Quebec Ministry of Education, Leisure and Sports (MELS) to investigate solutions that the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) can offer for the preservation of small rural schools in Quebec, Canada. The implementation of RNS mobilized then--as it still does now--the local…

Counselors in rural areas face unique challenges in striving to practice ethically and meet the needs of clients and communities. These challenges lead rural counselors to examine and question their daily practice and lives in an attempt to balance ethical codes with the realities of rural life. Describes these challenges and suggestions to…

Despite problems of isolation and lack of resources, studies show rural physicians are uncomfortable with distance education technologies for continuing education. A Penn State pilot project is testing use of desktop conferencing equipment in doctors' offices to deliver continuing education via the World Wide Web. (SK)

The collaboration between the Frontier Nursing Service and the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing provides a way for those with associate degrees in midwifery to obtain a baccalaureate degree in nursing and become eligible for advanced training in midwifery. Distance learning facilitates instruction for the geographically dispersed midwives.…

A preceptorship program provided professional development for rural nurses in South Australia, with colleagues acting as mentor-preceptors. The program overcame their geographic and professional isolation and equipped them with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to make changes. (SK)

Impoverished populations and schools in rural areas face special challenges that are different from other settings. Among these are the distances from social services, the sparse availability of assistance programs, and the shortage of resources to support educational programs and student learning. Rural schools, do, however, have assets that can…

Teacher shortages are essentially a problem of distribution (Darling-Hammond, 2001; Ingersoll, 2001; National Association of State Boards of Education, 1998; Olson, 2000; Reeves, 2003; Voke, 2002). According to recent studies, hardest to find are teachers who are both qualified and willing to teach in hard-to-staff schools, which included those in…