^NEW The 2008 Stellar Award recipient, Dr. Daisy Slan – We would like to congratulate Dr. Daisy Slan on being named the 2008 Stellar Award recipient! She will be granted the award in a special ceremony at the 19th National Service-Learning Conference in Minneapolis, MN. The Stellar Award is in honor of the late Stella Raudenbush. Ms. Raudenbush was a spirited pioneer in the service-learning field. Her 30 year career included work as a community activist, teacher, and spiritual seeker. She was passionate about children, social justice, community, diversity, urban education, and elders. The 2008 Stellar Service-Learning Award recognizes a leader who continues Ms. Raudenbush's legacy in service-learning by equipping young people to lead and serve.

Why Rural Matters 2007: The Realities of Rural Education Growth is a snapshot of rural education that provides essential information on the condition of rural education in the 50 states and uncovers new trends and challenges facing rural educators. Overall, enrollment in rural schools is up by 15%--a reversal of the year-over-year declines these communities have seen. While overall enrollment is on the rise the most startling data revealed in the report is the 55% increase in rural minority students, with some states experiencing increases of over 100%. Why Rural Matters 2007 also serves as a reminder that many rural schools continue to face a number of challenges, including high poverty levels, low student achievement, low teacher salaries, and uneven distribution of Title I funds.

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Quality Teachers: Issues, Challenges, and Solutions for North Carolina's Most Overlooked Rural Communities describes the challenges facing low-wealth rural school districts in eastern North Carolina as they relate to issues of teacher quality and summarizes the rural-specific strategies going on around the country to respond to these challenges. The report also covers how North Carolina is doing in each strategy, and provides additional recommendations based on the specific circumstances in North Carolina that would help address the pressing issue of providing all children in North Carolina the teachers they deserve.
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The Rural Perspective
An analysis of the proposed Department of Education's budget and how it will impact rural America for FY 2008
In partnership with AASA, NEA, and NAFIS, we provide an overview of how the President's proposed budget will affect rural schools and communities.  Read the analysis.
Recommendations for improvements to No Child Left Behind
We recommend an alternative approach to six areas of NCLB in order to take into account the unique circumstances of rural schools and rural students.   Read our recommendations for No Child Left Behind.

Riding to School in Slow Motion
Students who attend consolidated rural high schools face longer bus rides and are less likely to participate in extra-curricular activities because of the challenge of transportation. This is one finding in Slow Motion: Traveling by School Bus in Consolidated Districts in West Virginia. Survey results show that high school students who ride the bus and attend consolidated high schools lose an average of 49 minutes each day, compared to students who have other forms of transportation in those same districts. Though the report focuses specifically on consolidation outcomes in West Virginia, the lessons learned are a warning to any state that has pursued or is considering pursuing consolidation as an education policy.
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Lights, Camera…Leadership! Curriculum Available Online
Lights, Camera…Leadership! develops student leadership and academic skills through the process of making and premiering a community video. The video captures some important aspect of their community from past, present, and future perspectives. The students learn to lead focus groups, interview community members, conceptualize and produce a video, and organize and facilitate a community premiere (including leading small discussion groups).  For more information about the curriculum or to hold a training workshop in your community, contact Margaret MacLean.
Download the Curriculum     Read the first year’s evaluation

Why Small Works in Public Schools
While numerous studies have documented that small schools effectively boost student achievement, especially among at-risk students, our report, The Hobbit Effect: Why Small Works in Public Schools summarizes the vast research literature that explains just why small works in schooling, identifying ten research-based attributes of small schools that are proven to have a positive impact on kids and their learning.
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School-Community Partnerships
These in-depth tales of schools and communities serving as assets to each other illustrate the rationale for such collaborations nationwide.
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20 Strategies to Address Declining Enrollment
For those rural schools and communities across the country facing declining student enrollment, there are no easy answers. But there are steps policymakers and communities can take to help cushion the negative impact of declining enrollment on schools to ensure that “no child left behind” also means “no place left behind.” This report details 20 policies that provide students in communities experiencing declining enrollment with a high quality education and also buy time for communities to rebound, improve, or adjust to changes in population and revenue.
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