The need for passenger transportation is widely recognized by rural communities. Shrinking federal funding has led many communities and human service agencies to experiment with innovative approaches to provide transportation services. One such approach is the use of cooperative organizations to provide needed services. A study conducted by the…

Parent-run free schools (parent coops) differ markedly from public schools in size and organizational structure, but this paper shows that these new institutions share the problem of teacher supervision. Conclusions are based on intensive study of three parent coops using both participant observation and interviewing. Parent coops must deal with a…

Between 1870 and 1930, a "second great transformation" in the Northeast and Midwest was characterized by centralization of the economy, expansion of state power and professional expertise, and a rising urban consumer culture. Communities in the rural North faced a number of challenges: diminishing local control over schools and roads,…