Four major concerns are currently shaping national rural development policy: (1) rural population and employment are increasingly diverse but physical isolation and low population density limit essential public services; (2) many geographically concentrated rural communities continue to have high rates of very low income; (3) rural governments are…

The directory of rural development researchers in the South first lists researchers by state for the 13 southern states and Puerto Rico, then by subject area. Research projects (25) of the Southern Rural Development Center since 1975 are also listed. The listing by state covers Alabama (31 researchers), Arkansas (12), Florida (10), Georgia (15),…

According to a 1981 questionnaire survey of 2,554 heads of rural households in 10 Southern states, rural people perceived that the most serious barriers to securing employment in Southern rural areas were job shortages, lack of personal or political contacts, insufficient training or education, and lack of job information. Respondents perceived…

A 1981-1982 performance report of a model child/parent service for rural handicapped and high-risk infants, toddlers, and their families (OUTREACH) is presented. Outcome data and various program materials are presented for the OUTREACH: Macomb 0-3 Regional Project (Western Illinois University), which provides an educational/remediation program,…

A project was conducted to identify effective instructional strategies for rural unemployed and employed adults needing adult basic education (ABE) and General Educational Development (GED) instruction. Instructional strategies examined included time of day classes were offered, location of class, instructional setting (classroom/individual), and…

Health needs and health services in rural America are key issues directly related to education as well as community well-being. This report examines rural America's access to basic health care services and discusses options for congressional consideration. The focus is on trends in availability of primary and acute rural health care and on factors…

Changes in social and economic characteristics of metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area residents from 1970-80 are documented and compared with characteristics of the 1960s. Rural growth and change and rural-urban differences are emphasized in data on population, family, education, labor force, employment, income, poverty, and housing. All basic…

Many health and development programs have been initiated for the rural poor in the world, but few have achieved as strong an association with the cultural values of the people as has Dr. Carroll Behrhorst's work in Guatemala. The two major communication thrusts of his health programs are education of the native population, emphasizing…

This fact sheet provides an overview of rural schools, people, and labor markets to help vocational educators better understand the needs of rural Americans. It is based on "A Portrait of Rural America: Conditions Affecting Vocational Education Policy" (Rosenfeld 1981). Data is presented on population trends, poverty, employment…

Fortunate in being located on a highway and in having electricity and a convenient water supply, the village of Sangma, India, is populated mainly by very low-income families struggling for existence. Most adults living in Sangma are away from home at work most of the day; due to the fragmentation of the joint family system, young children are…

To determine whether social forces have changed the attitudes of rural women or whether the cohesiveness of the rural family unit produces such strong attitudinal transference that attitudes do not change, researchers studied the attitudes of three generations of women in Dawes County, Nebraska. The study was distinctive because it covered more…

This study presents an overview of how the further, higher, and adult education (FHE) system in England should support the rural economy. It is meant to relate to the changing agricultural scene, its diversification, the movement of people, and the well-being of the community. The first seven chapters of the booklet describe the nature of the…

Data from the 1986 Current Population Survey (March Supplement) indentified characteristics of working heads of poor families that might assist policymakers involved in alleviating nonmetro poverty (in 1985, 18.3% of persons living in nonmetro areas were poor compared to 12.7% of persons living in metro areas). Comparing the South (a 17-state…

Using the perspective of sociology and social welfare, the report focuses on issues and concerns by considering the concepts and underpinnings of personal development, social development, community development, women's issues, rural social welfare, and self-help. Contexts are the social development and social welfare of total societies as well as…

The relationship of human capital formation variables and unemployment status was evaluated by interviewing 1,493 families (1 adult member responded per household) in 1975 in a 5-county area of rural, Appalachian Ohio. The primary research objective was to determine the factors predictive of length of unemployment using the "investment"…