Every child deserves a quality education. But, rural educators nationwide face extremely difficult problems when addressing the special needs of all students, including those at risk in a technological society. Rural communities must also fight the stereotype that being removed from technical and cultural centers prevents them from developing human resources that can compete in a modern society. To combat these problems educators must develop problem-solving skills and processes that allow higher levels of thinking while helping students deal with a fast-changing world along with problem-situations that they face. Rural educators must also deal with their own staff-related problems. This research will culminate in the development of a comprehensive curriculum where both teachers and students have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential, become better critical thinkers, improve school achievement, and promote educational reform in rural communities. The creation of this curriculum is doomed to failure without a cost-effective and timeefficient way to involve every adult and student. To achieve this goal, we will develop further a state-of-the-art delivery system that facilitates a complete year of training and support for every staff member and parent, is implementable at any building site, merges role modeling with the best of adult training and classroom instruction, and meets everyone's diverse schedules. Briefly, this innovative, school-based delivery system captures on short vignettes and in print the essence of successful programs.Applications:Rural schools, parents, and communities are actively seeking a comprehensive approach to educational reform that will improve the educational possibilities for at-risk students. Based on clinical and behavioral strategies, our problem solving and positive climate curriculum will target these issues in an innovative, school-based delivery system that is designed to train, instruct, and disseminate this information at a fraction of traditional costs. There is a need. There is a market. Further research, development, and fine tuning of the school-based delivery system will allow its use for disseminating other programs that have the potential for improving the quality of life in rural America. 25
