Valuable, Flexible, and Cost-Effective: Making the Most of Small Scale

The RPM series “Rural Matters: The Implications of Rural Characteristics for Public Policy,” explores attributes that make a place rural and, therefore, different from urban and suburban places. In this installment we look at the characteristic of low population — and its corresponding attribute smallness — and consider ways in which this rural characteristic should inform public policy, especially education policy.

Office of Civil Rights Guidance for Schools

Guidance issued earlier this month by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights addresses what states and districts should do to ensure equal access to educational resources and opportunities.

Ernest Brooks: Rural American Making a Difference

As a young student, Ernest Brooks got involved in community and rural advocacy. He’s been at it ever since.

Urban School Closures Similar to Rural Closures

The National Opportunity to Learn Campaign addresses school closures in urban areas.

Rural Policy Matters: January 2014

The January issue of RPM profiles Ernest Brooks, former Rural Trust Board Chair, whose rural experiences have shaped his adult contributions; presents "Going Two Ways at Once," Part 2 in the series, “Why What’s Rural Matters;” compares urban and rural school closures; reports on plans of rural Promise Zones; and considers all-too-familiar patterns in recent school shootings.

Going Two Ways at Once: Distance as a Defining Rural Characteristic

The RPM series “What Makes Rural Rural?" examines characteristics of rural places and implications for policymakers, philanthropists, and others interested in making the most of resources and opportunity. In this second installment we look at the effects of distance on rural residents, schools, and communities.

Promise Zones Include Two Rural Areas

Earlier this month President Obama named the first five Promise Zones, including two multi-county rural regions.

Recent School Shootings Follow Familiar Patterns

Three recent school shootings are tragically familiar.

Facts and Figures About School Expenditures: Instruction Compared to Transportation

Question: Which state spends least on instruction compared to its expenditures for transportation?

Applications for 2014 Global Teacher Fellowship Program due January 30, 2014

Teachers and other academic personnel working in a rural or small town school may apply for fellowships for self-designed summer learning experiences based in international travel.

Facts and Figures: How Many Children Attend America's Poorest 10% of Rural Schools?

Question: How many children attend America’s poorest 10% of rural schools?

Rural Policy Matters: December 2013

The December issue of RPM focuses on poverty, and specifically on Promise Neighborhood initiatives to bring cradle-to-career supports to all children and youth in three distressed rural communities. The issue includes a reflection on poverty; a profile of the Berea Promise Neighborhood initiative in Kentucky; an exploration of family engagement efforts in Berea initiatives; news and insight from all three Promise Neighborhood initiatives; information about the Rural Education Summit at Berea College; and an announcement of the 2014 Global Teacher Fellowship application process.

There's Poverty...

Thoughts on what it means to talk about poverty and to address it in very distressed communities.

All Children Everywhere

The nation’s first rural Promise Neighborhood is entering its third year. In this issue of RPM we talk with some of its staff and hear about approaches, emerging successes, and opportunities.

Family Engagement: Lasting Positive Impact

Family engagement is the one of the pillars of the work Partners for Education is building in the Promise Neighborhood. We explore some of the ways the Berea initiative builds relationships across schools and communities.