What Happened to the Secretary's Rural Education Task Force?

I just sent a message to the U.S. Department of Education asking them for an update on the Secretary's Rural Education Task Force. From what I can tell the Task Force held 4 or 5 meetings, the last of which was December 14, 2006.

Since the purpose of a task force is to do a task, the question becomes what task did they accomplish. My sense is it just sort of drifted away without having completed a specific task, or at least a meaningful one. Will the Obama administration reconstitute the task force and assign it important work? I'm not hopeful.

NREA's New Website

The National Rural Education Association has a nice new design for it's website.

2000 Population Distribution in the United States

The U. S. Census Bureau's "Nighttime Map" illustrates how the east and midwest are more densely populated than the west. It provides insight into why there are different perceptions about what is rural among regions. From the Census Bureau:

The 2000 version of the Population Distribution in the United States map reflects population data from the 2000 Decennial Census. The U.S. land area is shown in black against a midnight blue background in which the population locations are shown as if lights were visible during the night sky. White dots coalesce to form the urban population concentrations. On the wall-sized version of the map, each white "dot" represents 1,000 people. On the page-sized version of the map, each white "dot" represents 7,500 people.

Click on the map to enlarge it.

Jeff Arnold on Football

With the high school football season winding down, a quote for my football coach friends:

There's no crying in football! There's only quietly sobbing into your pillow late at night when no one can hear you.
Jeff Arnold, 2008

National Rural Teacher of the Year Award

From John Hill, Executive Director of the National Rural Education Association:

Lois Gray, New Harmony School in New Harmony, Indiana, was presented with the National Rural Teacher of the Year award at the 100th NREA Convention in San Antonio. Fox 7 in Evansville, Indiana, featured Lois in one of their telecast. To view the segment click here. (The segment begins with a 30 second commercial).

This Was a Big Election

An excellent point from Obama pollster Joel Benenson on election day as reported in Time:

This was not a small election. This was a big election. But McCain talked about earmarks instead of about changing the tax code. When the issue was energy independence, his focal point was drilling instead of getting us off this addiction to oil.

Barack Obama spoke to a kind of change that resonated with Americans. They have grown weary not just of the type of politics we've seen but also of how politics has gotten in the way of solving real problems. In this campaign, voters have always known the stakes were very high.

The stakes are large for rural schools and communities. Are we going to continue down the path of suburbanizing rural schools or are we going to solve the real problems facing rural schools. It will take a clear vision of what rural schools can be, a comprehensive plan for achieving that vision, and a organized effort to achieve it. Anything is possible in America.

Webconference on the Changing Context of Rural Schools

On November 19, 2008 Edvantia will he hosting a webconference titled Cultivating Success: The Changing Context of Rural Education. The webconference runs from 2 pm - 3 pm est. I believe it's free but you do have to register to participate. From the description it looks to be an excellent program:

Rural schools and districts are changing. Student enrollment in small rural communities increased by 15% between 2003 and 2005, and rural students now make up 20% of the total student population. The percentage of rural minority students has grown dramatically, such that nearly half of all English language learners (ELL) live in rural places. But despite the advantages rural schools offer—meaningful family engagement, community support, and close-knit relationships—they continue to struggle with resource constraints, recruitment and retention of high-quality teachers, and implementation of robust ELL programs. Tune in to “Cultivating Success: The Changing Context of Rural Education,” the first in a series of three webinars sponsored by the Appalachia Regional Comprehensive Center (ARCC) that explore how states and districts can help rural schools meet their changing needs. Our presenters will be Marjorie Rosenberg, Senior Research Associate for CEEE, Maria Helena Malagon, Senior Research Associate for CEEE, and Donna Bell, Senior Program Manager for NCFL. This event is hosted by Caitlin Howley, Associate Director, ARCC at Edvantia and Donna Carr, No Child Left Behind/Title I Specialist, ARCC at Edvantia.

What Happened to Rural at NWREL?

The Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory used to be a leader in rural education research. A visit to their website shows that they've given up their rural emphasis. Searching the Products Catalog for "rural" produces zero publications. The message that comes up reads:

Sorry, I didn't find any matches for "rural" in the title, year, author, or description of products in our online catalog.

A search of the full NWREL website for "rural" produces 703 hits. The most recent year for a publication is 2005.

What is NWREL doing with the millions of dollars it is supposed to be allocated over the past 3 years researching issues affecting rural schools? Do any rural educators or policy makers in the region care that NWREL doesn't have a rural focus anymore? It is truly a sad thing to see.

Obama's Success Among Rural Voters

Barack Obama may not have won the rural vote in this year's election, but he was able to close the gap significantly. In 2004, John Kerry lost the rural counties in battleground states by 15 percentage points. Obama was able to narrow that deficit to seven. Nationally, John McCain won 56.2% of the rural vote compared to Obama's 43%. The proportions reversed in urban areas with Obama receiving 57% of the vote and McCain 42.5%.

I'm not sure why McCain was more popular among rural voters. Anyone have any ideas about that?

See the full report from the Daily Yonder here.

I Was Wrong

Even though there are some elections still to be decided, it's clear that I was wrong about Tuesday's election. I predicted Barack Obama would receive 378 electoral votes. Right now he's only got 364. If he picks up Missouri's still undecided 11 electoral votes, he'll only have 375.

I also predicted that Democrats would pick up 29 House seats and they only picked up 17. Democrats will not achieve the 60 seat threshold needed for a filibuster proof Senate, gaining only 6 seats. Even if Al Franken pulls out a come from behind victory in the Minnesota Senate recount, I still won't get to 60.

No one can say I don't admit when I'm wrong.

Which Way will Rural America Go?

Tomorrow's election is going to be tough for my Republican friends. I agree with George Will — Barack Obama will receive 378 electoral votes. I also think Democrats will pick up 29 House seats and gain enough Senate seats for a filibuster proof Senate.

Reflecting the diversity and independent mindedness of rural Americans, the polls show conflicting perspectives. An Associated Press-GfK poll conducted in October found that McCain had an 18 point lead over Obama among rural voters. On the other hand, a nonpartisan poll of rural voters in 13 swing states from October 1-21 found a statistical dead heat between McCain and Obama. Commissioned by the Center for Rural Strategies on behalf of the National Rural Assembly, the poll found Obama leading McCain 46 to 45 percent, which is within the poll's 3.38 percent margin of error.

To my Democrat friends, be gracious in victory.

Presidential Election Profile: Missouri

From the Almanac of American Politics via the New York Times:

Missouri’s peculiar balance of North and South, urban and rural, has helped to make it a presidential bellwether and explains its one deviation in the 20th century, in 1956 when it voted for Adlai Stevenson. He capitalized on farmer discontent and his lukewarmness on civil rights helped him carry traditional Southern Democrats. In the 1990s Missouri saw the two countervailing national trends—toward Democrats in major metropolitan areas, toward Republicans in rural areas—but in different proportions: the rural areas count for more here. In addition to registering voters in urban areas, Barack Obama also is hoping to find support in rural stretches to cut into Republican strongholds.

No Satisfactory Way of Measuring Rural

From In the National Interest: Defining Rural and Urban Correctly in Research and Public Policy by Andrew W. Isserman, which appeared in the October 2005 issue of International Regional Science Review:

We presently have no satisfactory way to measure rural for the study of rural economic or the assessment of rural conditions. Key economic and demographic data are not available for urban and rural areas, and metropolitan and nonmetropolitan commingle urban and rural, leaving us unable to separate them. Yet getting rural right is in the national interest. When we get rural wrong, we reach incorrect research conclusions and fail to reach the people, places, and businesses our governmental programs are meant to serve. [emphasis mine]

8th Annual Rural Education Working Group Meeting

The Rural School and Community Trust will convene its 8th annual meeting of the national Rural Education Working Group on April 19-21 at Kanuga Conference Center, near Hendersonville, North Carolina.

The gathering supports the work of rural citizens as they seek to strengthen their schools and communities by improving educational practice, learning about policy, conducting action research, organizing, and supporting each other. Visit the Trust's website for more information.

Rural Schools: Here to Stay

From Leadership for Rural Schools by E. Robert Stephens & Walter G. Turner, published in 1988 by the American Association of School Administrators:

Many states will always have large numbers of rural small school districts. The creation of larger schools districts that make good educational sense should and will receive pubic support, but further use of this policy will be limited. First, the massive school reogranization that touched virtually every state in the immediate post-World War II period rested on a research base that is now widely acknowledged to be flawed. Second, rural interests in many states are better organized today than in the past to resist indiscriminate use of mandated school district consolidation. Third, continued consolidation of districts will be difficult and not cost-efficient in many areas because of the distances involved. And last, alternative ways to provide a good education in rural areas, such as telecommunications, lessen the need for reorganization.

I'm not sure what to think about the statement that the use of consolidation will be limited since the Rural School & Community Trust is holding a School Consolidation webinar on October 22.

QZAB Extension Passes

From the Organizations Concerned About Rural Education:

As part of the rescue package enacted to meet the financial crisis, the U.S. House and Senate approved the so-called “tax extenders” bill that included a two-year, $800 million extension of the Qualified Zone Academy Bond (QZAB) program. QZABs allow local districts to finance school improvments or renovations at no interest cost by giving bond buyers federal tax credits in lieu of interest. The U.S. Treasury allocates the bonds to the states based on their low-income school population and state education agencies assign the bonding authority to their local school districts. The bill also removes an arbitrage modification of the original Act which has negatively affected the ability of school districts to use the bonds.

John Hill on the NREA Listserv Problems

This message came in this morning from John Hill, NREA Executive Director about the problems with the NREA Listserv:

The nrea-l list was captured by a spammer. Many of the reply emails you are receiving are not coming from this office. It is critical that you do not reply to those emails for the spamming to come to an end. I am sorry this has happened and I am more frustrated than you. Your help in not replying will help end this mess.

I appreciate John's efforts in correcting the problem. These things happen to the best of us.

Thanks to Kristi Smalley & Emily Welch Boles

Everybody on the NREA listserv owes a huge thanks to Kristi Smalley and Emily Welch Boles for posting directions on how to unsubscribe from a listserv. Before they posted the directions in separate emails there we so many posts to unsubscribe that I lost count. What's truly disappointing about the situation is that some people became so upset that sent threatening emails to the entire list. Fortunately Kristi and Emily provided some calm directions to those who are incapable of figuring out how to unsubscribe to a listserv.

New York State Center for Rural Schools

In September, New York Governor David Paterson signed a law creating the New York State Center for Rural Schools. From the Education Commission of the States:

Establishes the New York State Center for Rural Schools to operate the state rural education program. Eliminates the authority of the commissioner of education to run such program; expands the membership of the rural education advisory committee. Provides that the program is to disseminate research findings, information, materials and best practices. Directs the committee to promote community and school involvement and collaboration in the development and implementation of policies and activities, and to prepare an annual report, as well as special focus reports that may result from specific research and other activities.

Economic Development Funding

From the Center for Rural Affairs:

Since 2002, nearly every federal program that funds economic development and asset-building in rural communities has been cut, some by as much as 60 percent. With the notable exception of rural single-family housing loan programs, most rural development and rural asset-building programs witnessed significant reduction in Fiscal Years 2004 and 2005 after spending increases from 2002 to 2003.