Community Development


Rural Schools a Growing Part of the National Community School Conversation

The Coalition for Community Schools’ biennial forum is a major convening of community school advocates, and the Rural Trust engaged participants on related policy issues with particular impact on rural schools.


Rural Arkansans Bring National Attention to Post Office Closures

Arkansas’s Rural Community Alliance has helped communities across the state fight back against proposals to close their post offices. In the process, the organization has garnered national attention and brought a rural perspective to this important nationwide issue.
Date: January 27, 2012
Related Categories: In Local News, Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Community Development, Community Organizing


Proposed Post Office Closures Fall Hard on Rural Communities

The U.S. Postal Service is studying the closure of more than 4,000 post offices, many in rural communities.


Research Raises Doubts About Benefits of Consolidation

Has the time for consolidation come and gone? Research shows that state policies that broadly push mergers of schools and districts will not save money and will likely lower the quality of education — especially for the poor.


Financing Community Schools: Leveraging Resources to Support Student Success

Financing Community SchoolsCommunity schools are one of the most efficient and effective strategies to improve outcomes for students as well as families and communities. This report from the Coalition for Community Schools details how community schools efficiently leverage dollars to support student learning.


Worth Noting

A new report seeks to understand the relationship between the attachment of local residents to their community and economic development in that community

Date: December 21, 2010
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Arts & Cultural Heritage, Community Development, Income Related Issues


New Report Compares Afterschool Program Access in Rural, Urban Communities

The Afterschool Alliance, in conjunction with JC Penney Afterschool, has released new survey data on afterschool program participation, satisfaction, and demand in rural, urban, and suburban communities.
Date: October 17, 2010
Related Categories: Community Advocate, Parent, What's New
Related Tags: Community Development, Report, Youth


New Use of Federal Education Money Brings Broadband to Rural North Carolina County

A rural county in North Carolina uses federal Title I funding to bring state of the art technology to the homes of all its students. That the program also helps the entire county gain high-speed Internet access — and the economic opportunities that come with it — is all part of the strategy for making sure than low-income rural students and their communities get the resources that will really make a difference.
Date: February 26, 2010
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Community Development, Technology, Title I