Publications


The Rural Dropout Problem: An Invisible Achievement Gap

This report reviews high school dropout rates and related factors in rural high schools throughout 15 Southern and Southwestern states. These schools are in districts that are among the 800 rural districts with the highest student poverty rate nationally. Seventy-seven percent of the "Rural 800" districts and 87 percent of the students in them are in these fifteen targeted states.


Why Rural Matters 2009: State and Regional Challenges and Opportunities

Why Rural Matters 2009Why Rural Matters 2009 is the fifth in a series of biennial reports analyzing the contexts and conditions of rural education in each of the 50 states and calling attention to the need for policymakers to address rural education issues in their respective states.


Rural Policy Matters: September 2009

Rural Policy Matters: September 2009
This issue of RPM features articles on how members of the North Carolina Rural Education Working Group put some tough questions to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan about education in rural areas, a sneak preview of Why Rural Matters 2009, an appeal filed in the Arkansas Supreme Court on how long students may ride a school bus. Plus, Policy Program Director Marty Strange looks at some of the issues in the charter guidelines for Race to the Top funding…
Date: September 29, 2009
Related Categories: Publications, Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Article, Rural Policy Matters Issue Index, Rural Trust Publication


Rural Policy Matters: July 2009

Rural Policy Matters: July 2009
The July 2009 Rural Policy Matters features "Searching for Hamlet: To be or not to be for rural education," a commentary by Marty Strange and Robin Lambert; and a report on a White House gathering of representatives of a number of rural education organizations identified key issues affecting rural schools and suggested policy initiatives…


Rural Policy Matters: June 2009

Rural Policy Matters: June 2009This Rural School Finance edition explores some of the ways rural citizens around the country are advocating for rural students as state legislatures make historic budget decisions. Rural North Carolina residents work to preserve programs and classroom teachers; a significant program for low-wealth districts in Washington state escapes the axe; South Carolina's governor is ordered to accept stimulus funding; rural student's work continues to draw attention and resources to her school…


Rural Policy Matters: May 2009

Rural Policy Matters: May 2009
The May 2009 Rural Policy Matters includes highlights from the April 2009 Rural Education Working Group conference. Also, read about the new degree program in Rural Studies at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Georgia.
Date: May 28, 2009
Related Categories: Publications, Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Rural Policy Matters Issue Index, Rural Trust Publication


Rural Policy Matters: April 2009

Rural Policy Matters: April 2009
In the April 2009 Rural Policy Matters, find out how a recent analysis of Title I funding by the Rural Trust finds that two of the four formulas that are used to provide extra funding for poor students provide much more federal funding per eligible student to some districts than to others with similar or higher poverty rates. Also, read about how a lack of sleep is linked to poorer academic performance and behavior — and how this affects rural students who have long bus rides.


Many Children Left Behind

Many Children Left BehindMany Children Left Behind presents analysis of the distribution of Title I funds in Pennsylvania showing the unintended consequences of these weighting systems. A very few large districts benefit from the weighting systems, but most districts of all sizes with high percentages of eligible students get far less money per eligible student.


Rural Policy Matters: March 2009

Rural Policy Matters: March 2009In the March 2009 Rural Policy Matters, Rural Trust President Rachel Tompkins helps put the letter of a South Carolina teen in national perspective. Also, find out how communities pulled together in South Carolina to stop the closure of their schools, and why poorer smaller districts are losing out in the economic stimulus plan.
Date: April 04, 2009
Related Categories: Publications, Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Article, Rural Policy Matters Issue Index, Rural Trust Publication


Rural Policy Matters: February 2009

Rural Policy Matters: February 2009The February 2009 Rural Policy Matters includes the articles Arkansas Communities Forge Revitalization Process, A New School Funding Formula Proposed in New Mexico, and Maine Consolidation Fight Twists Again.
 
Date: March 17, 2009
Related Categories: Publications, Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Article, Rural Policy Matters Issue Index, Rural Trust Publication


Why Rural Matters 2007: The Realities of Rural Education Growth

Why Rural Matters 2007Why Rural Matters 2007 is the fourth in a series of biennial reports analyzing the importance of rural education in each of the 50 states and calling attention to the urgency for policymakers in each state to address rural education issues.


Pennsylvania School Funding Formula Report

Pennsylvania School Funding ReportPennsylvania has enacted substantial changes in its school funding formula, including a factor that adjusts a district's state aid based on estimates of the relative cost of hiring teachers in that particular district compared to the cost of hiring equally qualified teachers in other districts.


Rural School and Community Trust 2008 Annual Report

The projects and programs featured in our 2008 Annual Report represent the scope of our work aimed at fulfilling that mission. This report also includes a list of our board of directors, key staff, and financial statements for 2008.



An Analysis of the Impacts of the AIR Funding Formula Proposal on New Mexico School Districts

Impacts of the AIR Funding Formula Proposal on New Mexico School DistrictsAn Analysis of the Impacts of the AIR Funding Formula Proposal on New Mexico School Districts, a report of the Rural School and Community Trust and the Ben Lujan Leadership and Public Policy Institute, presents findings from an investigation of the impact of the funding formula proposal commissioned by the New Mexico Funding Formula Task Force (FFTF) and developed by American Institutes of Research (AIR).


Rural Policy Matters: January 2009

Rural Policy Matters: January 2009Across the country disturbing patterns are emerging in the ways schools deal with students on disciplinary issues. The January 2009 edition of RPM takes an in-depth look at some of these issues with emphasis on how communities can get involved to ensure that all students have the best educational opportunities in school environments that are safe and supportive.
Date: January 03, 2009
Related Categories: Publications, Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Article, Rural Policy Matters Issue Index, Rural Trust Publication