Publications


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.


Pennsylvania School Funding Formula Report

Pennsylvania School Funding ReportPennsylvania has enacted substantial changes in its school funding formula, including a factor that adjusts a district's state aid based on estimates of the relative cost of hiring teachers in that particular district compared to the cost of hiring equally qualified teachers in other districts.


Rural School and Community Trust 2008 Annual Report

The projects and programs featured in our 2008 Annual Report represent the scope of our work aimed at fulfilling that mission. This report also includes a list of our board of directors, key staff, and financial statements for 2008.



An Analysis of the Impacts of the AIR Funding Formula Proposal on New Mexico School Districts

Impacts of the AIR Funding Formula Proposal on New Mexico School DistrictsAn Analysis of the Impacts of the AIR Funding Formula Proposal on New Mexico School Districts, a report of the Rural School and Community Trust and the Ben Lujan Leadership and Public Policy Institute, presents findings from an investigation of the impact of the funding formula proposal commissioned by the New Mexico Funding Formula Task Force (FFTF) and developed by American Institutes of Research (AIR).


Rural Policy Matters: January 2009

Rural Policy Matters: January 2009Across the country disturbing patterns are emerging in the ways schools deal with students on disciplinary issues. The January 2009 edition of RPM takes an in-depth look at some of these issues with emphasis on how communities can get involved to ensure that all students have the best educational opportunities in school environments that are safe and supportive.
Date: January 03, 2009
Related Categories: Publications, Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Article, Rural Policy Matters Issue Index, Rural Trust Publication


Help Shape the National Rural Education Policy Agenda

Lend your perspective on important policy issues affecting rural schools, students, and communities…


Rural Policy Matters: December 2008

Rural Policy Matters: December 2008The December 2008 Rural Policy Matters includes features on how rural Bertie County, North Carolina, has launched an ambitious grow-your-own teacher program that aims to transform the district, and an analysis of the 2008 presidential vote in rural areas, with some thoughts for the president-elect...
Date: December 04, 2008
Related Categories: Publications, Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Article, Rural Policy Matters Issue Index, Rural Trust Publication


Giving with One Hand, Taking Away with the Other

Schools in Pennsylvania now get state funding based, in part, on a "location cost metric" and the results aren't pretty for many rural schools...


Rural Policy Matters: November 2008

Rural Policy Matters November 2008The November 2008 Rural Policy Matters included the articles "A Win for Everyone: Arkansas’s Teacher Housing Incentives Help Schools Keep Teachers, Help Teachers Grow Investments, and Help Communities Build Wealth"; "Maine's Struggle with Consolidation Law Continues"; and information about changes to Pennsylvania's school funding formula.
Date: November 06, 2008
Related Categories: Publications, Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Article, Rural Policy Matters Issue Index, Rural Trust Publication


Rural Policy Matters: October 2008

Rural Policy Matters October 2008The October 2008 Rural Policy Matters included the feature articles "Student Loan Forgiveness Options for Teachers and Schools," which discussed how Federal student loan forgiveness programs can help schools, especially low-income schools, recruit teachers; and "Missouri's Ozarks Schools Suffer Funding Disparity," which reports on how rural schools in the mountains of Missouri have less money per student than other schools in the state.
Date: October 10, 2008
Related Categories: Publications, Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Article, Rural Policy Matters Issue Index, Rural Trust Publication


Rural Policy Matters: September 2008

Rural Policy Matters: September 2008The September 2008 Rural Policy Matters included the feature articles "Bringing Technology to Rural Georgia," "Untangling the Fuel Budget Mess," and "Working Together to Stay Small, Get More Efficient," which describes how the Western Maine Educational Collaborative is reducing the operating costs of small schools -- not by making them big through consolidation, but by inter-local cooperation among small schools and districts.
Date: September 01, 2008
Related Categories: Publications, Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Article, Rural Policy Matters Issue Index, Rural Trust Publication


Rural Policy Matters: August 2008

Rural Policy Matters: August 2008The August 2008 Rural Policy Matters included feature articles on the National Rural Education Policy Agenda Committee, a critique on a report from the Alliance for Excellent Education on the economic impact of high-school dropouts, and review of proceedings at the June 2008 Second Annual National Rural Assembly in Washington, DC.
Date: August 01, 2008
Related Categories: Publications, Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Article, Rural Policy Matters Issue Index, Rural Trust Publication


Rural Policy Matters: July 2008

Rural Policy Matters: July 2008 The July 2008 Rural Policy Matters included feature articles on the May 2008 Rural Education Working Group Conference, the launching of the National Rural Education Policy Agenda (NREPA), and "Geographical Price Adjustments: Sending Money to the Wealthiest," an analysis of Pennsylvania's proposed new funding system for schools.


Rural Policy Matters: June 2008

Rural Policy Matters: June 2008The June 2008 Rural Policy Matters included the articles "The Best Teacher I Ever Saw," with comments from kindergarten, first, and second grade students at Greenfield School in Teton County, Montana; "Elected, Appointed, Partisan? It All Matters: The Structures of State Education Governance," which describes the lack of consistency among states in how they select public officials for top education jobs; and "Getting Organized in Your Community and State," with tips from Challenge West Virginia.


From Talk to Action: Warren County's Community Action Plan

From Talk to ActionFrom Talk to Action is a report on Warren County, North Carolina's action plan to ensure that all of its children and youth succeed and thrive.