9554465 Royster The Appalachia Rural Systemic Initiative (ARSI), a consortium of education and community stakeholders, seeks to accomplish significant and sustainable improvements in the science and mathematics attainment of students in the Appalachian region shared by six states. Schools in RSI-eligible counties in Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia will be partners in Resource Collaboratives, coalitions of schools, community organizations, institutions of higher education, and through telecommunications and internet connectivity, information resources internationally. Improvement in the instruction offered to K-14 students in participating schools will be accomplished by: providing on-site and ongoing in-service training leadership and parental involvement activities linking geographically isolated classrooms to classrooms, laboratories, and libraries outside the region advances in the level and quality of science, mathematics and technology courses taken by pre-service teachers in regional colleges. ARSI is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the extensive electronic networking plans currently in place in several of the participating states, as well as the educational reform efforts on- going in its partner states. ***
