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Rural Policy Matters: March 2010
Last Updated: March 27, 2010
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Facts and Figures About States With High Percentages of Minority Students in Rural Schools
Question: In which 16 states do minority students make up more than 25% of rural enrollment?
Meet the April 1st i3 "Intent to Apply" Deadline!
April 1, 2010 is the deadline to send an email stating your intent to apply for an i3 grant…
Formula Fairness Campaign Gaining Momentum
New attention given to the unfairness of “Number Weighting,” which shifts Title I funding for poor students from poorer school districts to larger less poor districts…
Consolidation Fightback Toolkit Now Available
The Rural Trust has updated its Consolidation FightBack Toolkit. Check it out…
The Charmed Prince of Good Deals
The following article was recently posted to the Formula Fairness Campaign’s blog. RPM will print selected Campaign blog posts. To learn more about the campaign to bring fairness in federal funding for low-income rural students, visit the website, where you can join the campaign and sign a national petition…
Petition to Eliminate Unfair Treatment of Small and Rural Districts in Title I Funding
Sign the petition to bringing fairness to the Title I funding formula…
Quick and Dirty: The RPM Take on A Blueprint for Reform
The Obama administration has issued its goals for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. We share what we think…
RPM’s Take on the Data Provisions of Blueprint for Reform
Student test score data is the core of Blueprint. Test scores would be used to rate teacher effectiveness and reward or reconstitute schools. And, more student and teacher data would be collected and published…
RPM’s Take on the Teacher and Principal Provisions of Blueprint for Reform
Blueprint requires states to rate teachers and principals according to the test scores of their students, a provision RPM thinks will drive teachers to schools where relatively affluent students are likely to score well regardless of teacher effort…
RPM’s Take on the Reward/Challenge Provisions of Blueprint for Reform
Blueprint puts in place new rating categories, Reward and Challenge, for schools, districts, and states…
RPM’s Take on the English Language Learner (ELL) Provisions of Blueprint for Reform
Blueprint keeps formula grants in place for ELL programs and requires states to put in grade level proficiency standards…
RPM’s Take on Rural Language in Blueprint for Reform
Blueprint includes language about rural schools, but little of it will actually make much positive difference…
The RPM Run-Down of Formula and Competitive Grants Proposed in Blueprint
Blueprint suggests a number of programs that will be available to schools through grants. RPM has categorized those programs based on whether Blueprint identifies the program as available on a formula or competitive basis…
Rhode Island Funding Formula Proposed
After 15 years Rhode Island may get a formula for funding schools…
Consolidation Plans Being Pushed in Kansas
Several bills that would require or incentivize district consolidation are under consideration in Kansas…
Colorado School Funding Lawsuit Moving Ahead
After a court reversal, plaintiffs are joining in a school funding lawsuit…
South Dakota Funding Fight Update
Funding getting worse in South Dakota, and lawsuit is moving forward…
Wisconsin Rural Schools Banking on Local Voters
Funding shortfalls are forcing many rural school districts to seek voter approvals for levy cap overrides…
Washington Districts Will Look Locally to Meet Funding Gap
Shortfalls in education funding in Washington have led legislators to lift levy caps in the state…
Zero Tolerance Reform Bill Advances in Georgia
A bill to give schools more authority over student punishments is moving through the Georgia legislature…
Restraint and Seclusion Bill Passes U.S. House
The U.S. Congress is responding to the widespread use of restraint and seclusion in American schools…
Mississippi Department of Education, Percent Student Poverty Rate (2006) and School District Accountability Status (2009–2010)
Student achievement is highly correlated with poverty, and poorer school districts are more likely to be sanctioned in state accountability systems. This map illustrates this pattern in the state of Mississippi…
Indian Education Policies in Five States
American Indian and Native Alaskan students make up a significant proportion of total students in some states and in those states they tend to be disproportionately enrolled in schools located in rural areas. Federal and state responses to the educational needs of Indian students have historically ranged from the disastrous to the indifferent or ineffective. Largely in response to efforts of Indian communities and activists some states have begun to enact policies and implement approaches that are more positively geared to Indian students.
A recent report from the Northwest Regional Education Laboratory identified 13 Indian education policies in five northwest region states. These policies provide some insight into ways schools and districts can do a better of job of teaching American Indian students and a better job of teaching non-Native students about American Indian history, culture, and language…
Related Tags: Rural Policy Matters Issue Index, Rural Trust Publication
