U.S. Department of Education Focus on Rural Schools is Encouraging Step

We were heartened to see the focus on rural education earlier this month, when the U.S. Department of Education reported that about 23 percent of the schools selected to receive federal School Improvement grants were located in rural areas.

It is interesting to note that many rural schools are opting to steer clear of the turnaround model, which has been popular among a number of urban school reform leaders.

Rural school leaders have argued that some of the reform methods of the turnaround model are simply not viable for schools in remote areas.

Some of the unique challenges of leaders attempt to turn around chronically low-performing rural schools include:

• Leaders often find it difficult to find effective teachers to fill vacancies created by retirement. The prospect of replacing 50 percent of the school’s teachers, which could be let go under the turnaround model, is all but impossible in isolated areas that already have a tough time filling existing vacancies.
• Charter schools operated by charter management organizations are difficult to open because many charter management organizations are less experienced in handing rural issues. Charter management organizations also seem to prefer working in urban areas, where they can easily locate multiple schools within a region.
• The school closure option offered in turnarounds often is particularly unappealing because the rural school is often the heart of the community – a key meeting place where the community gathers in emergencies and a source of intense community pride. Also, if schools are closed, there often are not other schools in the area that can serve the students of rural communities.
• Educational consultants, including professional development trainers, are often less willing to accept contracts in rural areas, or may charge more for their services because of the travel time required when schools are located far from regional airports.
• Many of the education models in place have been tested and implemented primarily in urban or suburban schools. The models, in some cases, do not take into consideration some of the unique challenges or experiences of rural students and teachers.

Our vision at The Institute for Educational and Social Justice is that all students -- regardless of their geographic location – should have access to a quality public education. By increasing the attention paid to rural schools, which have been all too frequently ignored in the past, we come one step closer to making that vision reality.