This edition of RPM includes a set of stories related to school consolidation initiatives and state responses: a West Virginia legislative study ties higher dropout rates to large districts and schools; Mississippi’s governor wants to eliminate many districts without examining research evidence; and two rural Arkansas districts are seeking an innovative response to that state’s minimum enrollment law. There’s important analysis of the devastating effects on high poverty districts of changes to the Title I formula; South Carolina ramps up efforts to recruit teachers; Rural Trust loses a good friend; Rural School Funding News; and more…

This edition of RPM includes a Review of Changes to the Race to the Stop Guidelines and now they are likely to affect rural schools; a new analysis of the effects of Title I number weighting that demonstrates how low poverty districts benefit at the expense of high poverty districts; an examination of interpretation of Race to the Top criteria; analysis of graduation rates in rural high poverty rural districts in the southwest and southeast; highlights of state policy developments in Arkansan, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee, Rural School Funding News, and more….

This issue of RPM includes an overview of Why Rural Matters (WRM), an interview with WRM co-author Jerry Johnson, more information about Title I inequities, a Title I Fairness Campaign, a map of the poorest 900 rural school districts, news from the Maine consolidation vote, RSFN, and more….

This issue of RPM includes an update on the fight to retain local governance of rural districts in Maine, an explanation of Title I funding disparities that hurt poor students in smaller districts, and information about a useful guide on working with ELL students, as well as Rural School Funding News and more...

This issue of RPM features articles on how 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, a sneak preview of Why Rural Matters 2009, an appeal filed in the Arkansas Supreme Court on how long students may ride a school bus. Plus, Policy Program Director Marty Strange looks at some of the issues in the charter guidelines for Race to the Top funding…

This issue of RPM features articles on the poorest 900 rural school districts, an essay on the diversity of rural schools and realities of the toughest places, a report from a group working to address the school disciplinary and pushout crises, and of course Rural School Funding News and a graph of important school information…

The July 2009 Rural Policy Matters features "Searching for Hamlet: To be or not to be for rural education," a commentary by Marty Strange and Robin Lambert; and a report on a White House gathering of representatives of a number of rural education organizations identified key issues affecting rural schools and suggested policy initiatives…

The May 2009 Rural Policy Matters includes highlights from the April 2009 Rural Education Working Group conference. Also, read about the new degree program in Rural Studies at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Georgia.

In the April 2009 Rural Policy Matters, find out how 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. Also, read about how a lack of sleep is linked to poorer academic performance and behavior — and how this affects rural students who have long bus rides.