Describes a 9-district, 750 employee self-insurance cooperative in northeast Missouri that achieved a $90,000 balance over claims in just 9 months of operation. Explains mechanics of plan operation including level of benefits, premiums, financial integrity, and results. (NEC)

Presents some of the arguments and reviews the research on small school districts. Based on experiences in Indiana, contends that consolidated school superiority is exaggerated. With proper planning and innovation, small schools can effectively share human, material, and financial resources. Eighteen references are provided. (MLF)

Large schools reflect the problems of society, while small schools foster peaceful interaction between individuals. (PBS)

For the most part, education in the United States started out small, but the 20th century brought significant changes. The Industrial Revolution and immigration swelled American cities at the beginning of the century, and urban schools grew along with them. In the 1950s and 1960s, many communities, educators, and politicians focused on…

This CD-ROM presents a virtual visit to the School of Environmental Studies, located on the grounds of its major community partner, the Minnesota Zoo. This 11th and 12th grade high school was opened in 1995, and in 1999 it was named a New American High School by the U.S. Department of Education because of its new, innovative approach to learning.…

Presents a plan to found a new college that is completely self-efficient, with student tuition payments covering the entire costs of operating the institution. (Author/PG)

This study adds credence to the findings of others that leavers are less settled personalities who think deeply, act on feelings rather than on measured consequences, are anxious about their environment and about themselves, sense a need for independence and seek ways to test that need. (Author)

Reports on the results of a survey of rural midwestern, fifth- and sixth-grade parents' perceptions of elementary social studies to see if their perceptions were consistent with "Revised National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Curriculum Guidelines." (AH)

Provides a personal account of the author's grade school years in the Independence School in Colorado. (AH)

Describes a step-by-step outline for an efficient curriculum program encompassing: curriculum responsibilities; plans for a revision schedule; and revision committees and their schedules. (AH)

Acknowledging that "under certain circumstances, the small school should be closed," this article traces how one small school was rescued through research into small school benefits and use of the media to inform the community. The welfare of the students is emphasized as the "only consideration" in the closing of a school. (LC)

Dunne (1978) suggested three major tasks of the 1980s which confront those concerned with rural issues: (1) basic research on small school problems, practices, and unique features; (2) curriculum and program development which builds on these features; and (3) elaboration and implementation of models for funding and regulating small schools.…

In 1980, the Colorado State Board of Education adopted amendments which allowed school districts to modify their school calendars to reduce energy consumption. Fourteen school districts applied for and received permission for pilot programs reducing the school week from five to four days. (Author/CM)

The recommendations of James B. Conant in the 1950s led to high school consolidation across the country. Although the surviving small schools have weaknesses, they have benefits as well. (JM)

Describes the ideal qualities of teachers in small schools, and explains how to recruit ideal teachers and how to provide inservice training for those who are less than ideal. (JM)