Title I

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Why Rural Matters 2015-2016 Capitol Hill briefing to be held April 3, 2017

Why Rural Matters 2015-2016 is the eighth 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 Snapshot: Dillon County, South Carolina

Dillon County, South Carolina is a poor rural community located along interstate 95, about 70 miles northwest of Myrtle Beach.  In Dillon County, roughly two-thirds of students are African-American, one-third are white and 90 percent are low-income.


Regional Education Laboratory Appalachia Co-hosts July 25 Event on Postsecondary Readiness in Rural Communities

Regional Education Laboratories (REL) invite practitioners and leaders from rural schools and districts, as well as rural education researchers are invited the attend the Cross-REL full-day event in Nashville, Tennessee.


Leonore Annenberg School Fund Grantees Benefit from Grant-Funded Technology

In 2014, the Rural Trust announced that Greenville Elementary School, located in Greenville Florida, would receive an award from the Leonore Annenberg School Fund.


Listen to IEL's Community Schools and Equity Recorded Webinar Series

Beginning in January 2015, the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) has hosted a series of community schools and equity webinars. The webinars explore how to utilize the full-service community school approach, both in policy and in practice. In addition, these webinars also discuss methods of closing the equity and opportunity gaps for all children.


Register Now for April 8 Webinar: Closing the Achievement Gap in Rural Districts: Lessons from Research and the Field

Hosted by the Regional Education Laboratory (REL) Central at Marzano Research, this April 8 webinar will provide participants with research and information about the instructional and organizational practices of rural districts that have closed the achievement gap.


Read about the U.S. Department of Education's Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Request

Critical investments in preschool, K-12 and higher education are among the highlights of the Department of Education's 2016 budget request.


Register Now for IEL's March 17 Webinar: My Brother's Keeper and Community Schools

This upcoming webinar will focus on strategies to effectively reach young men of color in community schools through the lens of President Obama's initiative known as My Brother's Keeper. Webinar presenters will also discuss how to leverage community partnerships to address racial and educational disparities.


Mark Your Calendar: March 4th and March 5th Webinars Focus on Rural Education Issues

The Regional Education Laboratories (REL) are presenting webinars which focus on rural education topics. REL Central will present the March 4 Webinar. REL Southwest will host the March 5 Webinar.


Register Now for December 10 NCEEP Webinar: Issues, Challenges and Successes for GEAR UP Programs in Rural Areas

Throughout the United States, GEAR UP programs in rural communities face unique challenges trying to facilitate college readiness and access for low-income, first-generation students, ranging from transportation issues, teacher quality and turnover, and inadequate K-12 resources and rigor to lack of post-secondary education and economic development opportunities.


Why Rural Matters 2013-14 Garners National Attention at Capitol Hill Briefing

On July 9, 2014, Rural Trust staff and researchers presented the key research findings of Why Rural Matters 2013-14 at a policy briefing on Capitol Hill. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Representative Glen Thompson (R-PA) sponsored this Hill event, which was attended by a diverse group of educators, policy enthusiasts and rural supporters.


WRM Briefing Prompts Floor Speech on Title I Equity

The Capitol Hill briefing of Why Rural Matters prompts Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson to call for reforms to Title I funding formulas.


Partnerships, NOT Pushouts: New "Whole-Child" Policy Guide for School Board Members

On April 22, 2014, a new "Whole-Child" policy guide was released which details how school board members can lead the way in securing a high-quality education for each and every student in their district.


Ensuring that High-Poverty Schools are Hunger-Free Through Community Eligibility

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) as offered by the National School Lunch Program, provides an alternative approach for offering school meals to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools in low income areas, instead of collecting individual applications for free and reduced price meals.


Now Archived: All Children Are Equal Act (ACE) Webinar

Title I dollars are the foundation of the federal commitment to closing the achievement gap between low-income and other students. Unfortunately, the current formula for distributing funds has led to less poor districts receiving larger per-pupil Title I awards than their higher poverty neighbors.


White House Education Budget Unveiled

The White House budget for fiscal year 2014 includes a 4.6% increase in discretionary federal education spending, most of which is in pre-kindergarten programs and competitive grants.


The President's 2014 Budget Proposal for Education: Early Learning Is a Key Investment

President Obama’s proposed fiscal year 2014 budget highlights key education investments in early learning, furthering the K-12 reform agenda, college affordability and quality, school safety and expanded opportunities for both middle- and low-income communities, while protecting formula programs for at-risk populations overall.


ACE Amendment Voted Down But Issue Remains Alive

U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee does not advance All Children are Equal Act, but important groundwork was laid to move ahead.
Date: March 30, 2012
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Federal Education Policy, Formula Fairness Campaign, Title I


ACE Act Will Be Considered for Adoption February 28, 2012

The House Education and Workforce Committee will be considering adoption of the ACE Act on February 28...
Date: February 23, 2012
Related Categories: In Local News, Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Federal Education Policy, Formula Fairness Campaign, Title I


Why Rural Matters 2011-12: Statistical Indicators of the Condition of Rural Education in the 50 States

WhyRural Matters 2011-12Why Rural Matters 2011–12 is the sixth 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.


Why Rural Matters 2011-12 Press Release

Nearly one in four American children attend rural schools and enrollment is growing at a faster rate in rural school districts than in all other places combined, according to Why Rural Matters 2011–12, a biennial report by the Rural School and Community Trust.


All Children Are Equal Act Gains Sponsors, Garners Attention

The bill to end discrimination in the way Title I funding is distributed has gained two more sponsors, continues to attract attention


Many Title I Schools Don't Get Comparable Share of State and Local Funding

A recent report from the U.S. Department of Education finds that many school districts spend less state and local funds per-pupil in their Title I and highest-poverty schools than in schools with lower rates of student poverty.
Date: December 30, 2011
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Federal Education Policy, Income Related Issues, School Location, Title I


All Children are Equal Act (H.R. 2485) to be Considered by the House Education and the Workforce Committee

The ACE act to end discrimination against most high-poverty districts in Title I funding is at an important juncture. Congressional Representatives need to hear from their constituents that this bill is critical.
Date: November 29, 2011
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters, What's New
Related Tags: Formula Fairness Campaign, Income Related Issues, Title I


Don't Miss It!

Don’t miss commentary by Marty Strange, Rural Trust Policy Director, in Education Week.


Positive New Developments in the Formula Fairness Campaign

Both the All Children are Equal Act and the Formula Fairness Campaign have new co-sponsors.


ACE Act Would Ease Title I Inequities

A bill introduced this month in the U.S. House of Representatives aims to alter the Title I formulas that are unfair to students in poorer, smaller school districts.
Date: July 29, 2011
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Community Organizing, Federal Programs, Formula Fairness Campaign, Title I


Bill Would Require Districts to Spend “Comparably” In High-Poverty Schools

A new bill would amend the Title I law to require school districts to spend as much on the education of students in high-poverty schools as it does on students in low-poverty schools.


All Children are Equal Act Introduced

The All Children are Equal (ACE) Act was introduced July 12 in the U.S. House of Representatives by 11 original co-sponsors led by Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA).


Number-Weighting Bill Drafted

A bill that deals with the impact of number weighting in the Title I formulas has been drafted in the U.S. Congress. The Formula Fairness Campaign gains momentum.
Date: June 25, 2011
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Federal Programs, Formula Fairness Campaign, Title I


Many Highest Poverty Districts Would Be Better Off If Congress Had Not Tried to Help Them

Number-weighting in the Title I formulas is so detrimental to most high-poverty districts that many would be better off if the formulas made no attempt to target more money to districts with high rates of poverty. This post from the Formula Fairness Campaign explains why.
Date: May 29, 2011
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Federal Education Policy, Income Related Issues, Title I


Rural North Carolinians Address Important Education Policies

Punitive and unequal disciplinary policies and funding inequities are just two of the public policies that the North Carolina Rural Education Working Group addresses. This month the group held a conference to draw attention to the issues and to their work.


Save the Children Joins Funding Formula Campaign

The national non-profit Save the Children is the newest sponsor to join the Formula Fairness Campaign.


Number Weighting in a One-Page Handout

Ever wish you had a simple tool to help you explain how the Title I formulas work and why they provide a lot less money to low-income children in some school districts than others? Now you have it.


Rural Trust Signs Letter On Highly Qualified Teachers

The Rural Trust has joined a number of other organizations in expressing concern that a recent change in the law defining “highly qualified teachers” under No Child Left Behind will make it harder to ensure that students facing the most educational challenges get the best prepared and experienced teachers.
Date: February 24, 2011
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Income Related Issues, Teacher Issues, Title I


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

Characteristic Eight: An Accurate Match of Resources to Needs. Making sure that students who have out-of-the-ordinary educational needs or characteristics get the support they need is a critical part of a strong school finance system.
Date: February 24, 2011
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Income Related Issues, School Finance/Funding, Title I


Formula Fairness Campaign Continues to Grow

The number of organizations that are co-sponsoring a national effort to bring fairness to the federal Title I program continues to increase.
Date: January 25, 2011
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Federal Policy, Formula Fairness Campaign, Title I


Formula Fairness Campaign Gains Three New Sponsors

This month, three new organizations became co-sponsors of the Formula Fairness Campaign. Find out how your organization can join the effort.
Date: December 22, 2010
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Federal Education Policy, Federal Policy, Formula Fairness Campaign, Title I


It Is Time for Something More Meaningful Than No "Excuses"

It’s time to address the real challenges that undermine the educational opportunities of many of our nation’s children

Date: December 21, 2010
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Federal Education Policy, Federal Policy, Income Related Issues, Title I


Title I: Contact Your Representative — And Your Candidates

The mid-term elections are an important time to tell both incumbents and challengers that Title I funding needs to be fixed....


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...
Date: August 26, 2010
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: African-American students, Formula Fairness Campaign, Title I


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.


Rural District's Successful Literacy Program Making a Big Difference

In Mena, Arkansas, students are reading. A lot. Test scores are up significantly. Title I funding makes the district’s comprehensive literacy program possible. But programs like this one could be in jeopardy.
Date: August 25, 2010
Related Categories: In Local News, Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Income Related Issues, School Finance/Funding, Teacher Issues, Title I


Arkansas Groups Gear Up for Action on Formula Fairness Campaign

Two rural education advocacy groups held leadership gatherings in Arkansas this month. Both included a focus on bringing fairness to the Title I funding formulas.


Rural Trust to Examine Effectiveness of Competitive Grants for Rural Schools

Competitive grants are an increasingly important part of federal funding for schools. But will they reach the highest-poverty rural schools or enhance equal educational opportunity.


Options for Fixing Title I Inequity: Tying Allocations to Average Local Salaries Makes Matters Worse

The Formula Fairness Campaign is exploring options for ways to fix the Title I formulas. One option is to use a figure calculated by the National Center for Education Statistics to determine how much college-educated non-teachers make in local labor markets around the country. This figure could be used to estimate the cost of providing an education in each school district. But this method would make things worse for most rural districts.
Date: June 25, 2010
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters, What's New
Related Tags: Formula Fairness Campaign, School Finance/Funding, Title I


State Spending Averages Skew Title I Allocations to Poor Districts

Districts in richer states that support education get a lot more federal money to improve the education of very low-income students than districts in poor states that provide less funding for schools...


The RPM Take on a Report Evaluating the Comprehensive School Reform Program

A report evaluating the implementation and outcomes of the federal Comprehensive School Reform program (CSR) from 2002 to 2008 finds that most schools receiving CSR funds did not implement all the program requirements, nor did they make more achievement growth than comparison schools. Although it would seem that extra financial support did not produce desired outcomes, a closer read of the report finds that most schools faced a number impediments to implementation and that addressing these impediments might go a long way toward helping high-poverty low-performing schools achieve at higher levels.
 


Title I Update: Two New Analyses Point Up More Inequities in Title I Funding

The Rural Trust’s Formula Fairness Campaign  has conducted two new analyses of Title I funding that demonstrate how — and why — some districts get less federal support than other districts for each very low-income student. One report shows how districts located in states that spend more on education get more Title I funding. The other report analyzes one option for fixing Title I to make it more equitable for high-poverty school districts, especially those located in rural areas.

 


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.


Children's Defense Fund Calls for Overhaul of Title I Funding

In a pointed letter to Congressional leadership, the Children’s Defense Fund makes the case for fixing the Title I funding formulas and changing other aspects of the federal education law…


Formula Fairness Campaign Update

Check out new developments in the Formula Fairness Campaign…
Date: April 29, 2010
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Formula Fairness Campaign, Title I


Formula Fairness Campaign Gaining Momentum

The unfairness of “Number Weighting,” which shifts Title I funding for poor students from poorer school districts to larger less poor districts, is gaining attention…


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…


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…


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 away from the schools where they may be most needed…
Date: March 26, 2010
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters, Teacher
Related Tags: Education Policy and Activism, No Child Left Behind, Teacher Issues, Title I


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...


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


A Rural Trust Guide to Title I Formulas

The federal Title I program, which is intended to help schools address the educational challenges of the most disadvantaged students, provides more funding for some low-income students than for others. This guide explains what Title I does, how its formulas work, and why the program matters for rural districts and students — all in plain language.
Date: February 26, 2010
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Income Related Issues, School/District Size, Title I


Rural Trust Launches Title I Formula Fairness Campaign

The Rural Trust is organizing to eliminate unfair and discriminatory treatment of small and rural districts in the formula for distributing funds to local school districts under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Learn more about the Campaign and how you can get involved.
Date: February 25, 2010
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters, Rural Trust Recommends
Related Tags: RT Policy Department, School/District Size, Title I


National Reports Spotlight Title I Formula Inequities

The fact that Title I provides more federal money for some low-income students than for others is coming under increasing scrutiny. Two recent reports spotlight the problem…

Date: February 25, 2010
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Income Related Issues, School/District Size, Title I


Find Out How the Title I Number Weighting Option Affects Your School District

The Rural Trust has been reporting on disparities in Title I funding over the past year, filling you in on the reallocation of funds in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Now you can find out exactly how your school district is affected.
Date: February 22, 2010
Related Categories: Funding/Grants/Scholarships, What's New
Related Tags: School Finance/Funding, Title I


Title I Formula Reverses Robin Hood

The biggest victims of “number weighting” in the distribution of Title I funds are high poverty small cities. Title I funds are intended to provide additional federal support to school districts to help meet the needs of students with extra learning challenges, especially challenges related to poverty. But a change to the formula — the number weighting provision — means that many large districts with low rates of student poverty are getting a lot more Title I funding per student that smaller districts with high rates of student poverty…
Date: January 29, 2010
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters, What's New
Related Tags: No Child Left Behind, School Finance/Funding, Title I


Large Very Low Poverty Districts Benefit in Title I Formula at Expense of High Poverty Districts Large and Small

New analysis of the effects of “number-weighting” in the Title I formulas demonstrate that very low poverty large districts are big winners, getting more money per poor student than very high poverty large districts. Smaller very poor districts loseTitle I funding to both high and low poverty large districts - all because of the effects of the formula…


Why Rural Matters 2009: An Interview with Co-Author and Researcher Jerry Johnson

RPM interviews Why Rural Matters (WRM) co-author Jerry Johnson about his personal perspectives on the findings in this important report.
Date: December 08, 2009
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters, What's New
Related Tags: All States, Income Related Issues, Title I, Why Rural Matters


Formula Fairness Campaign

The Rural Trust announces a new campaign to bring fairness in the Title I funding formula for smaller higher poverty school districts…
Date: November 30, 2009
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Income Related Issues, Rural 800/900, Title I


From the "Believe It Or Not" Basket:
The Cost of Being Small and Poor, the Charm of Being Big and Rich

Poor rural schools continue to lose Title I money to larger richer districts…
Date: November 29, 2009
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Income Related Issues, No Child Left Behind, Rural 800/900, Title I


Title I Inequities in Plain Language

Some districts get less Title I money per eligible student than others, often much less, even in districts with very high poverty rates. That discrepancy is explained here with easy-to-understand examples…


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 North Carolinians Raise Essential Issues with Secretary Duncan

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…


Getting Real About Rural Schools

Misconceptions about rural schools abound and they hurt students and communities, especially in the toughest places. In this essay we explore some of the realities of rural education and some of the things that would actually make a positive difference…


Searching for Hamlet: To be or not to be for rural education

The Obama administration has a great chance to learn about rural communities, but only if it will refrain from preaching a pre-determined agenda and really listen…


White House Meeting on Rural Education Identifies Important Topics

A White House gathering of representatives of a number of rural education organizations identified key issues affecting rural schools and suggested policy initiatives…
Date: July 18, 2009
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Federal Policy, No Child Left Behind, Small Schools/School Size, Title I


Recommendations on Changes to NCLB

A diverse group of organizations suggest an overhaul of the federal education law…
Date: July 18, 2009
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: No Child Left Behind, Title I


Gross Disparity: Some Poor Pennsylvania Students Get Much More Title I Funding Than Others

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....


RSIN Webinar: Ways for Rural Schools to Invest Title I Stimulus Funds, April 29, 2009

"Innovative Ways for Rural Schools to Invest Title I Stimulus Funds" was the topic of the April 2009 Rural School Innovation Network webinar.


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.


Give Every Child More than the Best Seat in the House (Chamber)

Rural Trust President Rachel Tompkins helps put the letter of a South Carolina teen in national perspective...


Poorer Smaller Districts Lose Out in Stimulus

The federal stimulus package provides needed relief to many schools, but it replicates serious inequities for smaller districts with high poverty rates…


Education Funding in the Stimulus: An Overview

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides significant additional funding for public schools. Details are still forthcoming, but we outline the basic funding streams and their requirements…


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.


Total Title I Funding per Eligible Child, 2008-09 School Year

Rural students receive, on average, less funding per eligible student through the federal Title I program, which is intended to provide additional educational support for very low-income and seriously at-risk students.


Student Loan Forgiveness Options for Teachers and Schools

Federal student loan forgiveness programs can help schools, especially low-income schools, recruit teachers...


Rachel's Notes: June 5, 2008

President of the Rural School and Community Trust, Rachel Tompkins posts her musings for your consideration, push back and feedback every couple of weeks.


Rachel's Notes: May 6, 2008

President of the Rural School and Community Trust, Rachel Tompkins posts her musings for your consideration, push back and feedback every couple of weeks.


Review: "Additional Learning Opportunities in Rural Communities: Needs, Successes, and Challenges"

Roy Forbes' report, “Additional Learning Opportunities in Rural Communities: Needs, Successes, and Challenges,” adds another important voice to the call for equitable resources for rural schools and their students, especially their low-income students...


Title I's Small State Minimum

Federal funds distributed to schools to help educate disadvantaged children are distributed through a complicated series of formulas. One of the most political of the Title I provisions is the so-called "small state minimum"...


Find out How the Title I Formula Affects Your District

The Rural Trust has been reporting on disparities in Title I funding and the reallocation of funds in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Now you can find out exactly how your school district is affected.


RSIN Webinar: Title I Funding Formula Issues Affecting Rural Districts, March 26, 2008

Review of the current formula and its bias against small districts.


Rural Policy Matters: February 2008

Rural Policy Matters: February 2008In the February 2008 Rural Policy Matters, Rural Trust President Rachel Tompkins writes about the complexity of rural education in "Rural Schools: Growing, Diverse, and... Complicated." This piece first appeared as a "back page" editorial in the national publication, Education Week, on January 16, 2008. Also, a critical analysis of nationally significant school funding issues in Georgia is the focus of "School Funding in Turmoil in Georgia," where radical proposals in the legislature could cripple school funding and citizen participation in education policymaking.


Students of Color Comprise Majority in High Poverty Rural Districts

The 800 rural districts with the highest poverty rates (what we call the “Rural 800”) serve a population made up primarily of students of color. The districts, scattered across 38 states, serve nearly a million students...


Why Rural Matters 2007: Gauge and Indicator Results

Gauge and Indicator Results from Why Rural Matters 2007, including six focus areas: Importance, Socioeconomic Challenges, Student Diversity, Policy Context, Outcomes, and Rural Education Priority.


Why Rural Matters 2007: Major Findings

Major findings from Why Rural Matters 2007: The Realities of Rural Education Growth.


Why Rural Matters 2007: Press Room

Media links and information for Why Rural Matters 2007: The Realities of Rural Education Growth.


Why Rural Matters 2007: Print Edition

Why Rural Matters 2007: Print EditionWhy Rural Matters 2007: The Realities of Rural Education Growth is a snapshot of rural education that provides essential information on the condition of rural education in the 50 states and uncovers new trends and challenges facing rural educators.


Poorest Rural Districts Poorer Than Most Cities

The 800 poorest rural districts in the U.S. enroll nearly a million students and have poverty rates higher than most cities....


Title I Weighted Grants Skewed Toward Largest Districts: Per Pupil Funding Varies Sharply by District Size

Title I Weighted GrantsSince 2002, some of the federal funds provided to local school districts under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act have been distributed through weighted grant formulas intended to better target funding to districts with the highest concentrations of poverty. While a worthy goal, these formulas actually skew funds toward larger districts and place a greater value on the education of a Title I student in a large district than on the education of a Title I student in a smaller district — even when these districts have the same poverty rate.


Why Rural Matters 2005: The Facts About Rural Education in the 50 States

Why Rural Matters 2005Why Rural Matters 2005 is the third in a series of reports analyzing the importance of rural education in each of the 50 states and calling attention to the urgency with which policymakers in each state should address the problems of rural education.


Why Rural Matters 2005: News Conference Transcript

This transcript of the virtual news conference for Why Rural Matters 2005 features Rachel Tompkins, Ed.D., President, Rural School and Community Trust; Jerry Johnson, Ed.D., State and Regional Policy Studies Manager; and Marty Strange, Director of Policy Programs at the Rural Trust.


Why Rural Matters 2005: Print Edition

Why Rural Matters 2005: Print EditionWhy Rural Matters 2005 is the third in a series of reports analyzing the importance of rural education in each of the 50 states and calling attention to the urgency with which policymakers in each state should address the problems of rural education.