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Why Rural Matters 2011-2012: The Condition of Rural Education in the 50 States

Publication: Rural School and Community Trust Policy Program
Date: February 1, 2012

Summary: This sixth report in a biennial research series by the Rural School and Community Trust Policy Program explores the "conditions of rural education in each of the 50 states and call[s] attention to the need for policymakers to address rural education issues in their respective states."

 

Excerpt from Report

Our intent in these reports is not—as it is in many state-by-state analyses—to compare states in terms of their differing rates of progress toward an arbitrary goal. Rather, our intent is (1) to provide information and analyses that highlight the priority policy needs of rural public schools and the communities they serve, and (2) to describe the complexity of rural contexts in ways that can help policymakers better understand the challenges faced by their constituencies and formulate policies that are responsive to those challenges.

In 2008–09 (the school year used in this report), 9,628,501 public school students were enrolled in rural school districts—20% of the nation's total public school enrollment. Meeting the needs of more than 9.6 million children is a challenge that demands and deserves the attention of a nation. It is also a challenge that calls for looking at issues from multiple perspectives in order to develop informed understandings that move beyond overly simplistic notions about rural schools and the communities they serve."


Copyright © 2012 Rural School and Community Trust. Reprinted with permission.
Strange, M., Johnson, J., Showalter, D., & Klein, R. "Why Rural Matters 2011–2012: The Condition of Rural Education in the 50 States." Rural School and Community Trust , 2012.


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