
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 23, 1990                   TAG: 9005230151
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Medium

STUDY: RURAL PUPILS FACE GREATER RISKS

Rural schoolchildren are more likely to face failure because of crime, substance abuse, parental neglect or other factors than city or suburban kids, a first-of-its kind survey says.

Called the "National Study Regarding At-Risk Students" and conducted in 1989, it asked school officials from 312 rural, urban and suburban districts to estimate the percentage of their pupils who exhibited social, economic or family problems that increase the likelihood of school failure.

Conducted by the National Rural Development Institute, the study found that rural children fared worse than non-rural children in 34 out of 39 statistical comparisons.

The report thus suggests that the social and economic strains facing rural schoolchildren are every bit as bad, perhaps worse, as those facing city youth.

It also suggests that the image of rural children leading wholesome, trouble-free lives compared with children from other areas is seriously in need of revision, said Doris Helge, executive director of the institute based at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash.

Among the survey's findings:

17.7 percent of non-handicapped rural high school students were estimated to be substance abusers, compared with 10.1 percent in non-rural districts.

12.3 percent of non-handicapped rural elementary schoolchildren were found to be suffering depression, compared with 10 percent of urban and 8.5 percent of suburban youngsters. Among learning disabled and other mildly handicapped youngsters, depression was a problem among an estimated 16.9 percent of rural grade school pupils, but only 9.5 percent of urban and 12.4 percent of suburban pupils.

25.7 percent of non-handicapped rural high school pupils were considered sexually active, compared with 22.5 percent of urban and 20.9 percent suburban students. Among mildly handicapped rural high schoolers, 26.7 percent were sexually active, compared with only 15.3 percent of urban and 18.2 percent of suburban children.

6.7 percent of non-handicapped rural middle school youngsters were said to be involved in crime, compared with an estimated 5.6 percent in urban and suburban schools.

12.7 percent of rural preschoolers without handicaps were considered victims of child abuse, compared with 11.9 percent urban, 9.6 percent suburban.

by CNB