Rural Matters

We wanted to know more about the rural school districts that serve high poverty communities so first we statistically rounded up the 7604 districts nationwide that have over half their students in a school that is physically located in a rural community. Then we identified the 800 – about 10 percent -- that have the highest rate of eligibility for the federal Title I program. That is the program providing funds for disadvantaged students. We’ll call these 800 high-poverty rural districts the "rural 800."

Continue reading to find out more about these districts and to see a chart of the 16 states where most Rural 800 districts are located.

Continue reading "The "Rural 800" Districts" »

Posted by Marty Strange at 09:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Check out yesterday's post on the Daily Yonder for an interesting comparison of the effects of flooding and the combination of low funding and high stakes testing demands on schools in many rural communities.

The author, Richard Oswald, lives in Atchison County, Missouri, where the Missouri River flooded earlier this summer. He's also a former school superintendent. So, he's got some first-hand references that draw a vivid picture of what's happening to many rural schools, especially those located in communities with "quick stop" economies.

While at DailyYonder, take a look at "Saving Greensburg..." Governor Kathleen Sibelius has said that re-opening the high school is key to saving this small Kansas town that was destroyed by a tornado in May.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 08:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A school funding lawsuit just went to trial in Missouri. The state has a budget surplus of between $300 and $500 million and Governor Matt Blunt (R) wants to provide tax breaks. Also, there could be choice initiatives in Missouri, including open enrollment among districts and tax credits for donations for students in “failing” schools to transfer to private schools. The governor recently appointed two people to the state Board of Education who support the use of tax vouchers for private schools. Other legislative issues could include raising the drop out age from 16 to 18; incentive pay for math and science teachers; after-school programs in math and science; and support for professional development for teachers of advanced courses.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)