This narrative literature analysis examines the storylines of rural teachers told through published research on rural teachers. Using a narrative analysis approach, we investigated research published between 1970 and 2010--four decades of rural-oriented education research and policy work. Four storylines emerged from our coding of rural-related…

This article addresses the changes in the spatial distribution of elementary schools in Czechia in the second half of the 20th century and the consequences of these changes on the functioning of rural communities. The spatial distribution of elementary schools, the shape of their catchment areas, and the regional and local communities connected…

This study estimates the high school dropout rate in rural and urban areas, the determinants of dropping out, and whether the differences in graduation rates have changed over time. We use geocoded data from two nationally representative panel household surveys (NLSY 97 and NLSY 79) and a novel methodology that corrects for biases in graduation…

Based on survey responses from more than 500 third-grade teachers, this study addressed three research questions relating to technology integration and its impact in rural elementary schools. The first analyses compared rural with non-rural teachers, revealing that the rural teachers had more positive attitudes toward technology integration. Then…

Australian occupational Travelers such as circus and fairground people often enter territories normally occupied by permanent residents. This article examines the ways in which these Travelers act as "space invaders," disrupting the boundaries between urban and rural, and as pedagogical innovators, when they develop pioneering approaches to their…

Effects of student poverty and location on school accountability scores were examined using hierarchical linear modeling and data from 1,115 Kentucky schools in 171 districts. Positive effects of nonmetro location were found, but they did not erase the strong negative effect of poverty. Projections indicate that equitable excellence will not be…

A study examined whether the characteristics of rural communities would limit success of a statewide mentoring program in Nebraska. Surveys of 1,490 students, parents, mentors, and teachers in 10 rural and 23 nonrural schools indicated similar positive changes in student behavior in rural and nonrural schools. Provision of mentors and staff by…

A study examining technology support in rural schools surveyed 129 school technology coordinators in four upper plains states. Heavy pedagogical and technical demands were placed on rural technology coordinators. Rural technology coordinators should have teaching experience and advanced degree work in network administration, computer hardware…

Nationally, rural students in grade 8 outperformed their nonrural counterparts on the mathematics section of the 1996 National Assessment of Education Progress. Fourteen states had significant rural-urban differences in mathematics achievement, but seven favored rural students and seven favored nonrural students. This pattern was related to six…

A study of 45,206 high school seniors investigated their participation and performance in mathematics subjects taken to complete the secondary education qualification in Victoria, Australia. Gender differences varied with the particular assessment administered. There was a significant regional effect where rural students, particularly males,…

Census data from 1940 to 1990 are used to analyze the relationship between educational achievement and economic progress. Results are inconsistent with the policy assumption that investing in education leads to economic increases, particularly for rural and low-income states. Noneconomic goals, such as fostering community development, should be…

Achievement in reading, math, science, and social studies was examined among rural, suburban, and urban school students using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988. Controlling for socioeconomic status and using nationally representative samples of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders, rural student achievement equalled or exceeded…

A survey of 145 rural and urban high school teachers in the Southwest examined differences in classroom management beliefs and practices. Rural teachers were significantly more interventionist in the area of instructional management, while urban teachers were significantly more interventionist in the area of people management. (Contains 27…

A study compared efforts by two rural schools and two urban schools to implement state instructional reforms in South Carolina. Obstacles to rural schools' reform efforts included insufficient human resources to undertake comprehensive reforms and too much familiarity between school and community members, possibly resulting in limited involvement…

Data from the National Education Longitudinal Study, 1988-94, were used to examine career-related characteristics of rural and nonrural secondary students. The best predictors of transition status were occupational aspiration for college-bound youth, socioeconomic status (SES) for rural work-bound students, and SES and vocational education for…