Agricultural and rural concerns affected the writing of the Constitution in at least three ways: (1) in the issues that led to the calling of the Constitutional Convention; (2) in the debates during the convention itself; and (3) in the ideology of government held by many of the framers. (JHZ)

Using measures sensitive to rural labor market conditions, determined that nearly a third of the rural labor force is underemployed--by being out of a job, working for low pay, or working too few hours. The current system of calculating unemployment rate seriously underestimates the extent of economic hardship in rural areas. (JHZ)

Describes community assessment component of four-part training model designed to prepare doctoral students to carry out mental health promotion projects in rural settings. Incorporates windshield survey, ratings of community impressions, archival data, community leadership analysis, key informant interviews, person along-the-street interviews,…

Examines and explains unexpected population trends since 1970: substantial rural and small-town growth, regional shifts to the South and West, lower birth rates, increased life expectancy, smaller household size, and population growth from immigration. Illustrates how demographic events offer classic examples of the difficulty of predicting human…

Reviews employment growth in rural and small town communities, focusing on two periods, 1940-70 and 1970-80. For the rest of the 1980s, predicts a slower growth in nonmetro areas--that is, slower than in metro areas and slower than in the 1970s--yet not as slow as in the 1960s. (JHZ)

Integrated basic education is directed toward all segments of the population, fits in with the activities of the local community, and emanates from the people themselves. The objectives and implementation of integrated basic education in rural areas are discussed. (RM)

Discussions centered on circumstances faced by laid-off workers in Portsmouth, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Upper Cumberland, Tennessee, and Gary, West Virginia. These diverse Appalachian communities are prototypes of the extent of local distress imposed by the impersonal workings of the market and the absence of precedents for dealing with…

This monograph, commissioned by the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges, presents information on the issues and practices of small and/or rural community colleges in the United States. Although a significant number of students enrolled in the nation's two-year colleges are attending small and rural colleges, there is a dearth of…

Rural development is rarely defined and there is no clear definition of what the development process intends to accomplish. The nature of the larger economy in which rural places must operate has changed in ways that reduce the relative advantage of most rural areas and have left them struggling to define new economic functions. The political…

Wesley College, a private urban secondary school, sought a rural location where ninth-grade students could spend a term in a community-based, experientially-derived curriculum to enhance their sense of self and community. The small town of Clunes, in Victoria (Australia), accepted Wesley's initiative and since 2000, Wesley has operated a campus…

Decentralization and budget reduction in the public sector, and globalization and downsizing in the private sector have placed more responsibility on localities to address challenges to the health of their economies, ecosystems, and people. Community development theory and practice are also changing, evidenced by changes in vocabulary. Community…

A combined report of the four Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDCs) and their partners focuses on selected outreach and research activities, projects, and accomplishments in fiscal year 1997. The report is organized around five topics identified as key issues for the mid 1990s: (1) improving economic competitiveness, diversity, and…

This report describes principles of community organization that can contribute to sustainable community renewal. Community is composed of social networks which form the community infrastructure. Relationships among people with the same roles are passive; relationships that cross role boundaries are active. Communities that exhibit active…

The rapid expansion of Appalachian Computer Services (ACS), a small Kentucky firm, was possible because of help from the state's Private Industry Councils (PICs). Federally funded, the PICs provided the necessary business-government-training partnership to recruit and train unemployed and economically disadvantaged workers for ACS' high-technology…

Examines recent developments relating to agricultural education and Work Experience Programmes in Secondary Schools in Jamaica; questions whether such "radical rethinking" is needed in their educational policies/priorities; challenges whether the view that the whole future of developing countries like Jamaica is heavily dependent on…