A Big Eastern Syndicate

It was Lucy in A Charlie Brown Christmas who spilled the beans that Christmas was actually run by a big eastern syndicate. It's starting to look like rural education is too.

A case in point is the upcoming revision of The Condition of Education in Rural Schools by the U.S. Department of Education. Rumors are that the authors of the different sections are all from the east coast with the exception of Bob Newhouse from Kansas State University. Is there nobody from west of Kansas who could have been a contributor on the project?

It's been about 12 years since the USDE published The Condition of Education in Rural Schools edited by Joyce Stern. The original report was a comprehensive look at the state of education in rural communities and is considered an important resource. The report covers the years 1980 to 1990 and is really outdated. About 5 years ago there were discussions about updating the report but USDE officials decided instead to develop a website using data from the National Center for Education Statistics. NCES has done a commendable job of keeping up-to-date data and information on the Navigating Resources for Rural Schools site.

The updating of The Condition of Education in Rural Schools is an important event for rural education. Of concern is that the only perspective represented in the report will be that of the eastern Rural-Cons. The incredible diversity of rural places is one of the challenges facing anyone attempting to do a national rural education report. Honoring that diversity should be a goal of the USDE.