New "Why Rural Matters" Report Now Available

The new edition of Why Rural Matters, from the nonprofit, nonpartisan Rural School and Community Trust, provides an overall "priority" ranking of the 50 states, showing the greatest needs in rural education.

Monsanto Fund awards $25,000 to the Rural School and Community Trust in support of Why Rural Matter 2015-16 research project

The Rural School and Community Trust received a $25,000 Monsanto grant award providing support for the research and publication of Why Rural Matters 2015-16. This biennial series research report focuses on the realities of K-12 education state-by-state across rural America.  

Rural Policy Matters: January 2015

The January 2015 issue of RPM features an article on a new early literacy program that Rural Trust, the National Council of Teachers of English, and district partners in five states are implementing; research related to preschool access; coverage of increased funding for E-rate; a reflection on student poverty reports; and updates on school finance.

Rural Policy Matters: December 2014

The December 2014 issues of RPM features stories of rural teachers who travelled internationally as Rural Trust Global Teacher Fellows; reports on Congressional defunding of the Secure Rural Schools program; examines the rural-urban college completion gap; considers the most recent shooting at a school; reports on legal actions related to school funding and charter schools.

Rural Policy Matters: November 2014

The November 2014 issue of RPM features stories of rural teachers who travelled internationally as Rural Trust Global Teacher Fellows; reports the recent ruling in favor of high-poverty rural districts in South Carolina; examines rural issues in a crop of school finance lawsuits; and considers the implications of charter arguments in Washington State.

Rural Policy Matters: October 2014

The October 2014 issue of RPM examines the Seattle-area school shooting in light of other information on school violence; delves into a raft of research on college-going rates; considers new information on student well-being in the U.S.; examines education issues in next month’s elections; and shares information about initiatives in which the Rural Trust is involved.

Rural Policy Matters: September 2014

The September issue of RPM explores new child poverty data; describes recent Rural Trust activities related to place-based learning; examines three current school finance lawsuits; considers recent developments in state and federal initiatives related to teachers; and reports on Missouri’s new law expanding the ability of employees to bring guns to school.

Rural Policy Matters: August 2014

The August issue of RPM considers the importance of Vermont’s stance on declaring its schools “low performing,” examines a recent set of papers related to school finance, reports on a North Carolina court decision declaring the state’s voucher program unconstitutional, and comments on the accountability and teacher quality provisions that NCLB was to require this school year.

Rural Policy Matters: July 2014

The July issue of RPM covers the deadline extension for School-wide free lunches for eligible schools; examines how Washington State is dealing with a school finance court order; explores Georgia’s new gun laws and how schools are responding; and reports on the Capitol Hill briefing of Why Rural Matters 2013–14.

Rural Policy Matters: May 2014

The May issue of RPM presents information from Why Rural Matters 2013–14; reports on some of the complex issues that teachers face; and reviews a new report on the importance of supports for young children and their families and what states are doing about it.

Rural Policy Matters: April 2014

The April issue of RPM announces the rural Leonore Annenberg School Fund grantees; profiles student-led efforts to reduce poverty in a rural Louisiana community; explores a report on school-community collaborations; profiles the 2014 national Forum of the Coalition for Community Schools; introduces the 2014 class of Rural Trust Global Teacher Fellows; and includes information from a recent survey of American teachers and students.

Rural Policy Matters: March 2014

The March issue of RPM profiles North Mitchell Elementary where an emphasis on health is connecting students to their own communities, explores data released in a new federal report on equity in schools, reports on the most recent developments in the Kansas school finance case, and examines issues of school funding fairness in a recent report from the Education Law Center.

Rural Policy Matters: February 2014

The February issue of RPM profiles Cara Cookson whose strong education in a small rural school has motivated her to work on behalf of rural communities and their schools; covers recent developments in education policy in North Carolina; and presents “Valuable, Flexible, and Cost Effective,” Part 3 in the series, “Rural Matters: Implications of Rural Characteristics for Public Policy.”

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.

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.