A Portrait of Rural America: Conditions Aftecting Vocational Education Policy. Vocational Education

The monograph is an attempt to describe conditions exist-ing today in rural America that can affect the ovaration and impact of vocational education in rural areas and, thus, should.exercise an influence on policy making. It identifies statistical patterns and characteristics common to rural areas, both within regions and those that cut across regions. It discusses: (1) characteristics of rural school districts that define and delimit their current delivery systems and their capacity for providing education: (21 demographic characteristics of the population to be served and the ability of rural communities to provide services: (3) rural poverty and deprivation that affect the need for services and the choice of criteria by which services are targeted; (4) geographic features that influence the delivery of services: and (5) labor market characteristics that affect the programs to be offered in the curriculum and the targeting of funds. The monograph also stresses tha', while people in rural communities tend to be more alike than people in large cities, rural communities across the country tend to be.more unlike each other than large cities across the country: therefore, local conditions need to be carefully considered in all State and Federal policies. (Author/CM) Peproduc ns supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. r-1