Achievement Gap


Investing in Innovation (i3) Grant

View the latest Rural Trust i3 resources here, including archived webinars, presentations, and grant competition news. The Investing in Innovation (i3) Grant was established under section 14007 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and provides funding to support local educational agencies (LEAs) and nonprofit organizations in partnership with one or more LEAs or a consortium of schools.


Children's Defense Fund National Conference: July 22-25, 2012

Make plans now for the 2012 Children's Defense Fund National Conference, set for July 22–25 in  Cincinnati, Ohio.


The Influence of Teachers: Reflections on Teaching and Leadership

The Influence of Teachers: Reflections on Teaching and LeadershipIn this urgent and insightful book, John Merrow draws on his experience as a reporter for PBS and NPR to examine this question and others, and offer possibilities and solutions for a new education system.


Citizens Call for Transparency in Mississippi Consolidation Recommendations

The Governor’s Commission on Mississippi Education Structure is likely to recommend dissolving 18 small rural school districts. Citizens are asking for the data analysis that was used to identify the districts.


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.


Two Analyses of Mississippi Achievement Data Produce Significant Findings for Policymakers

Two recent Rural Trust analyses, conducted in partnership with Southern Echo, find that the negative effects of poverty on student test scores is reduced in small school districts and that districts ranked highly in the state’s accountability system are no better at closing achievement gaps that lower rated districts…
Date: April 30, 2010
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Achievement Gap, African-American students, Disabilities, Income Related Issues


Investing in Innovation (i3): A Rural School Technical Assistance Initiative Webinar

Investing in Innovation (i3): A Rural School Technical Assistance Initiative was the theme of this March 19, 2010 webinar from the Rural School and Community Trust.


Achievement Gap Study Offers More Data for Understanding How Schools and Policymakers Can Respond

In this issue of RPM-PX we take a final look at a series of recent reports on the Achievement Gap with a review of David Berliner’s paper, Poverty and Potential: Out-of-School Factors and School Success. We offer our thoughts on its implications for rural schools…
Date: November 29, 2009
Related Categories: RSIN Premium Content, Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Achievement Gap, RPM Premium Exclusive


The Achievement Gap: Further Exploration of Factors That Undermine Achievement

RPM-PX continues its exploration of the achievement gap and how barriers to learning affect different groups of students…


Understanding and Addressing the Achievement Gap

A number of factors explain the devastating gap in achievement between middle and upper income white students and students from historically disadvantaged backgrounds. In this report we look at one of several recent reports that examines the gap and what can be done about it…