Craig B. Howley

The Political Economy of Rural School Consolidation.

Under the rubric of school improvement, many places that once provided schooling no longer do so; they have been improved out of existence. The number of schools to which this technique has been applied is indeed impressive. In 1930 there were 128,000 school districts and over 238,000 schools in America. By 1980, however, the number of school districts had dropped to 16,000 and the number of schools to 61,000. Such consolidations, moreover, coincided with substantial enrollment increases earlier in this century (Stephens & Perry, 1991) and will probably continue in the future, regardless of projected enrollment growth (Gerald, Horn, & Hussar, 1989). As rural and small schools are typically the target of school consolidation, the threat of school closures persists as perhaps the most important concern in many American rural communities.

Gifted Programs: Equal Access in Rural Areas.

This paper considers the issue of equal access to gifted programs as it pertains to rural students, schools, districts, and states. It defines equal access and describes impediments to it. By focusing on educational policy that is amenable to change, the paper proposes techniques to make substantive gifted education programs available to representative numbers of bright rural students.

Farming the Poor

Because the US is, for the moment, among the wealthiest of global powers, its poor confront “unique” opportunities to serve national purposes—not so much as citizens, but more as revenue sources and consumers. In international context, the poor in this wealthy nation possess comparatively more disposable income, generating revenue streams throughout American society.