Rural and Small Schools-In The News
RURAL SCHOOLS
Community Partnerships. The “Community Schools” model, like the Stevenson-YMCA Community School in Long Beach, California, is a model that encourages schools that provides a range of family and social services--at the school, usually during and after school hours. Such arrangements are often a more likely option in urban areas where there is a concentration of government and social services. But the idea that the school would be the center of the community and that the school would help address a variety of needs is one with long and deep roots in rural areas as well. Unfortunately, rural schools are less likely to receive support from institutional partners, nonprofit foundations, and business coalitions than urban and suburban schools. (See Rural Matters "Rural Schools Have Fewer Supports.") That does not mean, however, that rural schools cannot and do not form important partnerships in their own communities. The stories of six rural schools that have formed mutually beneficial partnerships with their own communities are featured in Rural Policy Matters, April 2006.
Student Engagement. Students in 26 states have reported on their levels of engagement at school in the 2006 High School Survey of Student Engagement. Many students feel that at least one adult at school knows and cares about them. But a majority of students feel bored almost every day, and most want more opportunities for relationships and for active learning opportunities. Read the Rural Matters take on the survey results here.
TEACHERS
Here on Rural Matters, we’ve been following some of the pay-for-performance initiatives around the country, in part because paying teachers according to the progress of their students is a hot topic right now. Houston is the largest city in the country with a pay-for-performance plan. That city started their program last year and gave their first bonus checks recently. Some teachers who had been recognized as outstanding by other measures did not receive a bonus (see Rural Matters "In The News-February 15, 2007"). And, some teachers who were supposed to receive bonuses based on the program’s criteria were overlooked and received their awards late. Now some teachers have been asked to give back part of their bonus. Seems the district gave these part-time teachers a bonus based on a full-time equivalent salary. Hmm. Sounds like a little math drill, and maybe some math concept work, is in order somewhere in Houston. Read more.