Research Monograph No. 48: Curriculum Provision In Rural Secondary Schools

Author(s): Phillip McKenzie, Ross Harrold, Andrew Sturman

Publisher: ACER, 1996

This book investigates various views, including those that say students in rural secondary schools are disadvantaged by comparison with urban students, and that rural and remote schools are excessively expensive to operate.

Using qualitative materials derived from case studies of schools in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, together with qualitative analyses of recent, detailed information collected by schools, the authors provide evidence that rural and remote schools provide a curriculum directly comparable with urban schools, and that students (regardless of differences of gender or social grouping) are better served in the quality of their educational experience than many have claimed.

In addition, though the operating costs are generally higher in rural areas, alternative strategies for educational provision, such as school amalgamations and transport of students to large centres, are likely to be more costly and have a larger impact on education budgets.

The information and perspectives offered in this book will be of considerable interest to policy-makers and others professionally concerned with providing the highest quality education for those students living outside Australia’s metropolitan areas.

Related products:

• ACER Research Monograph Series