Rural Policy Matters: August 2010

The August 2010 edition of Rural Policy Matters includes articles about a school-wide comprehensive literacy program that's making a difference in a rural school district; number weighting in Title I funding hurts rural districts headed by African-American superintendents; a coalition of civil rights organizations has issued a compelling document outlining new federal strategies to ensure that all students have substantive and fair opportunities to learn; Rural School Funding News, and more…

Districts Headed by African-American Superintendents Lose Funding to Number-Weighting

An analysis of the effects of the “number weighting” provisions of the federal Title I program shows that high-poverty rural districts that are headed by African-American superintendents collectively lost more than $8 million in Title I funding in 2009. These superintendents make up more than a quarter of all African-American superintendents in the U.S. Their districts are losing federal funding to larger, lower-poverty suburban districts...

Take Advantage of Congressional Break to Contact Representatives

The federal Title I formulas send more funding for poor students to large low-poverty suburban districts than to smaller, higher-poverty rural districts. That’s not right and Congress needs to hear that the formulas should be fixed.

Coalition Releases Document Calling for "Opportunity to Learn" for all Students

A coalition of civil rights organizations has issued a compelling document outlining new federal strategies to ensure that all students have substantive and fair opportunities to learn. The document’s critique of competitive mechanisms for distributing federal funding and use of unproven school turnaround strategies that harm students and communities is powerful. Equally important are the strategies it outlines to strengthen communities, engage parents in schools in meaningful way, and make states accountable for providing equitable resources and opportunities for all students. Such strategies would take federal policy in new directions to address the challenges and gross inequities facing low-income students and communities…

Education Week Launches Rural Blog

One of the nation’s most widely-read education news outlets recently launched a blog devoted to rural education issues. We’re glad to see this attention to rural schools…

School Discipline: An Occasional Series on Developments in School Disciplinary Policies and Practices

Special education students in Texas are much more likely to receive exclusionary discipline at school…

Congressional Action on Corporal Punishment in Schools

A bill in the U.S. Congress would end corporal punishment in American schools…

North Carolina District Takes Steps to End Zero Tolerance

North Carolina district backs away from controversial discipline policy…

RSFN Special Series:
Financing Rural Schools: Characteristics of Strong Rural School Finance Systems

Part IV in the Rural School Funding News (RSFN) special series, "Financing Rural Schools," looks at provisions for small school and/or district size.

Wyoming Debates Funding Accountability

Lawmakers in Wyoming are considering changes to the state funding formula that could reduce spending flexibility for some school districts…

Class Size Caps Are Subject of Ballot, Lawsuits in Florida

An amendment placing strict caps on class sizes in Florida could be altered in court or at the ballot box this fall…

Ohio Governor Faces Criticism Over Education Claims

Governor Ted Strickland’s claims about education funding in Ohio are under scrutiny…

Kansas Responds to Threat of Lawsuit

The possibility of a school funding lawsuit in Kansas has many lawmakers expressing support for meeting current constitutional requirements…

Teacher Mobility by School Locale, 2008-09

Teacher Retention and Attrition by School Locale…

Facts and Figures About States With the Highest Percentage of Schools in Rural Communities

Question: Which state has the highest percentage of schools located in rural communities?