Emergency Preparedness

The shooting at Platte Canyon High School yesterday is a sobering reminder that rural schools are not immune from violence. One of the more troubling aspects of the incident is that it appears the killer didn't have any connection to the school.

This is a good time for school administrators to review their emergency preparedness. The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools has excellent resources to assist in that task including Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Communities.

Teacher Recrutment & Support

Mark your calendars to attend my session Twenty Strategies for Hiring and Keeping Effective Teachers at the National Rural Education Association Convention in Kansas City on Tuesday, October 24 at 10 am. Hobart Harmon and I will be discussing strategies that schools are using to hire and keep effective teachers.

This session will go beyond the same old tired strategies that have been reported over and over again. Instead, our focus will be on strategies that aggressive recruiter districts use to find and keep good teachers. Our session won't be very helpful if you're looking for solutions that don't take any effort. But it will be worth your time if you're willing to put forth the energy needed to improve teacher quality and ultimately student outcomes.

To learn more visit the NREA website or contact Hobart or myself.

Football on the Great Plains

It's football season for high schools all across the country. In Colorado the new season provides fresh evidence of continued population loss on the Great Plains, and how rural schools and communities are adapting.

Writing for the Denver Post, Robert Sanchez tells the story of the newly combined Sedgwick County Cougars football team, which is in its first year as an athletic cooperative between Julesburg and Revere High Schools. Reaction to the new arrangement is understandably mixed.

A majority of school board members pushed for the agreement and got the backing of students and their parents.

Without the sports cooperative, they say the two school probably would have lost their football programs, driving yet another stake through the heart of rural America. ...

But allegiances die hard, and several longtime alumni from Julesburg and Revere see the freshly minted agreement as akin to kissing an ugly cousin. ...

"When you discard 100 years of history and tradition, it does get people's attention," Julesburg resident Jim Kontny wrote in a letter to the town's newspaper late last year.

It's hard for people who've never experienced rural schools first-hand to understand the importance of maintaining rural schools and all that comes with any sort of consolidation. For them the school mascot is the hardest animal to kill.

The effect of populations declines can also be seen in the change in distribution of Colorado's rural schools playing 11-man, 8-man, and 6-man football between 2005 and 2006.

1A 11-man (Colorado's smallest classification out of five)
2005: 40
2006: 36

8-man
2005: 38
2006: 49

6-man
2005: 20
2006: 22

Sedgwick County lost its first game 19-16 to Creek Valley High School (Nebraska), which is in it's third year as a consolidated school.

Linda Hall Leaving Center for Rural Education

Earlier today Linda Hall announced her departure as the Director of the Center for Rural Education. The announcement was made on the U.S. Department of Education's Rural Education listserv.

To ListServ subscribers:

Today marks my last day as the owner of the Rural Education listserv here in the Office of Vocational and Adult Education of the U. S. Department of Education. My assignment ends tomorrow and I will return to Federal Student Aid, another of the Department's operating units. Thank you for all of your comments as we established the Center for Rural Education. Richard LaPointe will assume the leadership role for the Center until the Director's position is filled.

Linda W. Hall

Rural Task Force July 2006 Meeting

Minutes from the July 17, 2006 meeting of the Secretary's Task Force on Rural Education have been posted on the Center for Rural Eduction section on the U.S. Department of Education's website. Of particular interest was a presentation by Phoebe Cottingham, Commissioner, Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences on the rural work of newly funded Regional Educational Laboratories. Dr. Cottingham reported that:

• Six of the startup Fast Response projects being conducted by the labs focus on rural education policy issues.

• Fourteen Fast Response projects have explicit analysis of rural education status or progress.

• Two major experimental tests of using virtual technology to improve middle school math teaching in rural schools.

• Six rigorous studies of state programs to improve science-math learning will include rural schools.

• About a third of the new work conducted by the labs is about rural education.

The next meeting of the Rural Education Task Force is scheduled for October 2006.

Take Me Away

Sometimes it's easy to take for granted how fortunate we are to live in wonderful rural places. My high school classmate Cowboy Brad Fitch recorded a song that reminds me of that every time I hear it. Take Me Away was written by Brad's brother Doug and describes what it's like to live away from the mountains.

Here are the lyrics:

Not long ago, seems like yesterday, the mountains were my home, I thought I'd always stay
Summer days of blue, and nights of shining stars, lately I can't take the sight of city lights and cars

There were times before, times I'd wish away, up among the peaks, beside a glacial lake
Living in the sky makes it hard to leave 'cause the city's got me down, down where I can't breath

To purple mountains majesty even for a day, not so very far from here, just a world away

Looking out my door this is what I see, houses row by row, planned so expertly
But the wind and rock and snow are calling out to me, it's the summits that I know where I long to be

Take me away, far far away from here,take me away, bring me home, the mountains are my home
Far away from here, send me on my way, take me home

Eleanor Roosevelt on the first White House Conference on Rural Education

I ran across an interview with Eleanor Roosevelt in which mentions the first White House Conference on Rural Education that was held October 3-5, 1944. This I Believe About Rural Schools was originally published by Chari Ormand Williams in The Nation's Schools 45, no. 3 (March 1950): 31-36.

You were responsible for making possible the first White House Conference on Rural Education ever held. What do you think are some significant outcomes of this conference, which rural educators believe has charted the course of rural education in this country for the next 50 years?

There were a number of worthwhile outcomes: the reawakening of public interest in rural education; the organization of similar conferences on the state level; nine regional conferences on rural life and education held annually under the auspices of the department of rural education of the N.E.A.; organization of the National Conference of County and Rural Area Superintendents of Schools; the rapid increase in the reorganization of rural school districts in the last five years, and many others of equal importance, it seems to me.

Luna Wins Idaho Primary

A few weeks ago Mr. Rural ED reported that former Rural Education Task Force Director Tom Luna was running for Idaho State Superintendent. Although he has won the Republican primary, his record as the Executive Director of the U.S. Department of Education's Rural Education Task Force is starting to catch up with him.

The Ridenbaugh Press comments on Mr. Luna's tenure with the Rural Education Task Force:

Luna was a Bush Administration official from early in 2003 into 2005, and one online resume lists him as senior advisor to Secretary of Education Rod Paige, director of the White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities (2003-04) but primarily, apparently, he was executive director of the U.S. Rural Education Task Force. One might expect Luna to speak at length about these experiences; instead, they tend to get perfunctory mentions. Why?

Could it be because there’s not much to tell? Or because the telling might make for some uncomfortable juxtapositions?

An editorial in the Idaho Statesman puts Mr. Luna's candidacy into a larger perspective.

Luna wants to encourage next-generation charter schools for students who are struggling to learn English or falling behind in math and reading. Jones wants to go slower, to ensure the state can provide fledgling charter schools with the technical help and legal counsel they need.

Luna supports a dramatic tax shift favored by many Republican legislators — shifting the public schools' maintenance and operations levy from the property tax to the sales tax. [Democrat Janet] Jones worries that the schools would lose a stable source of money.

Luna opposes an Idaho Education Association-backed voter initiative to raise the sales tax by a penny, pumping $200 million into schools. Jones supports the initiative.

The initiative may be a boon to Jones, a relative unknown running against an experienced Republican candidate. Teachers and public school supporters may be galvanized by an Election Day twofer: voting for the initiative and voting against Luna.

Senator Kent Conrad on Rural Schools

This continues Mr. Rural ED's look at congressional perspectives on rural schools. The quote below is from North Dakota Senator Kent Conrad. Senator Conrad is a fifth generation North Dakotan and is the ranking member of the Budget Committee and as a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee. As the representative of one of the most rural states in the nation, Conrad also serves as a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

One of the most important education priorities for Senator Conrad is preserving the quality of education in North Dakota’s rural schools. Almost 80 percent of North Dakota school districts have 600 students or less. These are unique schools and the challenges for these districts are unique as well. Senator Conrad responded to these concerns by authoring legislation to create the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP). This landmark, bipartisan legislation was enacted in 1999. Under the REAP program, many small, rural school districts are entitled to consolidate funding from certain federal education programs to make more efficient use of the funds. Senator Conrad's legislation is critical to giving rural schools the flexibility to use federal education funding wisely. The school districts are also eligible for grant assistance that may be used to improve student achievement or provide professional development for teachers.

In the first three years of the REAP program, more than 120 North Dakota school districts received $4 million in funding. Senator Conrad will continue to fight for adequate funding for this critical rural education program.

Rural Education Dissertation Award

The National Rural Education Association is soliciting applications for the Edward W. Chance Memorial Rural Education Dissertation Award. The award recognizes doctoral research that makes a significant contribution to rural education and addresses issues of current concern. The winner of the award will be invited to present the results at the 98th Annual NREA Convention in Kansas City, Missouri, on October 23-25, 2006. The award includes a $500 stipend. The due date for applications is June 15, 2006. For more information contact Executive Director Bob Mooneyham.

Whatever Happened to Tom Luna?

A few of us have been wondering about whatever happened to Tom Luna. Some of you will remember him as the Director of the U.S. Department of Education's Rural Education Task Force. Word out of Idaho is that Tom is running for State Superintendent in Idaho and touting his accomplishments at the U.S. Department of Education. You can learn all about them at his website.

Brzezinski Rural Education Research Award

The National Rural Education Association is seeking applications for the Stanley A. Brzezinski Memorial Rural Education Research Award. Deadline for applications is June 15, 2006. The award includes a $500 stipend. Contact Executive Director Bob Mooneyham for more information.

In order to recognize outstanding, high quality research in the field of rural education, the National Rural Education Association sponsors the Stanley A. Brzezinski Memorial Rural Education Research Award. This award, funded by the Brzezinski Family, will be awarded for education research which addresses significant rural issues and makes notable contributions to the knowledge base of rural education. Research addressing rural education issues is paramount to the selection process. All rural education researchers are eligible for the award. The research could include, but not be limited to, issues of rural school efficiency and effectiveness, financing rural schools, rural poverty, the rural economy, student/rural community expectations, understanding the diversity of rural administrators, or
alternative instructional and organizational patterns for rural education. The research project judged most meritorious will receive the award and the author will be recognized at the 98th Annual NREA Convention in Kansas City, Missouri, on October 23-25, 2006.

Putting Rural Education Issues in Perspective

One way to put the issues facing rural schools into perspective is to look at what's happening with rural health care. A report in today's Denver Post paints a disheartening picture of health care for some of Colorado's rural communities.

Staff writer Karen Auge describes the situation where three Colorado counties have no full-time physician, and eight have only one.

In Crowley County in southeastern Colorado, people die in traffic accidents at a per-capita rate nearly four times that of Denver residents, according to the Colorado Health Institute.

In Baca County in southeastern Colorado, people died of diabetes at more than twice the statewide rate in 2004.

In Gunnison County on the Western Slope, 18.5 out of every 1,000 babies born in 2004 died before their first birthday. That's nearly triple the statewide rate - and higher than that of Sri Lanka and Uruguay.

Health insurance is also a problem for rural Americans.

Most people in Brush (Colorado) work. The county's 4.9 percent unemployment rate is lower than the state average of 5.5 percent.

But they earn less. The median income in Brush is $31,000 - a third less than the typical Colorado household.

And, like rural residents everywhere, people in Brush are less likely to have health insurance.

In Morgan County, 20 percent of the population had no health insurance in 2003 - the state average was 15 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

In seven rural counties, the number of uninsured is nearly 30 percent, the Colorado Health Institute says.

Putting the challenges facing rural schools in the context of the rural health care crises should give us pause. There aren't any rural counties in Colorado that don't have licensed teachers and they don't have to face life and death situations everyday. That said, rural schools should be part of the solution to rural health care problem.

Senator Burns on Montana's Rural Schools

Mr. Rural ED's series on congressional perspectives on rural schools continues with comments from Senator Conrad Burns (R-Montana).

One of the greatest challenges we have is to revolutionize education in rural areas such as Montana, where current technological capabilities may be lacking. There is nothing more important to me than making sure our kids have the education they need to get ahead in today’s competitive world. I have always championed programs such as E-Rate, which ensure that our schools have access to up-to-date technology.

While I understand the importance of ensuring that America’s young people have a strong educational foundation, I am aware that when the No Child Left Behind Act is applied to rural schools, it is not a perfect law. I have spoken with many educators around Montana and heard their concerns about Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements, Highly Qualified Teacher (HQT) requirements, the assessment of special education students, and finally, funding issues.

I have always said that if the federal government is going to continue setting requirements and educational standards, we have to be prepared to adequately fund those rules so states like Montana can meet those challenges and continue to support the teachers and the students. Rules that make sense in New York or California are often cumbersome and expensive for rural states like Montana. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I have worked hard to secure funds for a variety of critical education programs. However, funding cannot be our only focus. Presently, I am working with the Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and Montana’s education community to improve various aspects of NCLB. It is imperative that local schools are granted more flexibility in deciding the educational needs of Montana’s students.

Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act

Should the federal government sell off land to support rural schools? That's the issue behind legislation co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Max Baucus (D-Montana) and Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) to fund the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act without selling public lands.

The bill will raise $2.6 billion over the next ten years for the rural schools program, commonly known as the county payments law, by closing a tax loophole that allows some government contractors to avoid their tax obligations. In 2005, Wyden, along with Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) and Baucus, introduced a bill to reauthorize the county payments law for another seven years. The original law is due to expire at the end of this year.

The bill is in response to the Bush Administration's proposal to sell as many as 300,000 acres of Forest Service lands to raise about $800 million for the program. The legislation would provide a steady revenue stream for the county payments law by closing a tax loophole in Federal contracts. Under current law, the Federal government does not withhold taxes owed from government contractors that provide goods and services to the Federal government. As a result, some contractors don’t comply with Federal tax law.

“Our bill will fully fund the rural schools program without selling even one acre of our prized public lands,” said Baucus, the highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over tax policy. “Our public lands shouldn’t be put up for sale to the highest bidder. The Administration challenged congress to find a way to fund this program -- Ron and I just did.”

“Rural communities throughout the country rely on these payments for top quality schools and infrastructure year in and year out,” said Wyden. “We cannot abandon them, and this legislation finds a fiscally responsible way of extending this successful law.”

The county payments law, first enacted in 2000, established a six-year payment formula for counties that receive revenue sharing payments for the USFS and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands. Based on historical timber receipts, the formula established a stable source of revenue to be used for education, roads and various other county services in rural areas.

Senator Baucus, along with Senator Ken Salazar (D-Colorado), was one of the first members of Congress to condemn the land sales proposal.

Rural Students & Reading

Rural 12th grade students who were eligible for free and reduced priced lunches scored higher on the 2003 NAEP Reading Assessment than did those from central cities and urban fringes. Ok, rural students scored only 1 point higher than urban students, but it was 9 points higher than city students. This is good news for rural students and those who believe rural schools have inherent strengths.

The bad news is that rural students as a group scored the same as city students but were 5 points below their urban fringe counterparts. The moral of the story is that rural schools can do great things but there is room for improvement.

Click on the thumbnail below to see the full-size table.

NREA Mini Grant Program

This just in from the National Rural Education Association home office in Norman, Oklahoma:

Please be reminded the deadline to make application for the 2006-2007 NREA Mini Grant Program is May 1, 2006. The NREA Mini Grant Program is sponsored by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. The generous contribution made by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association funds ten NREA Mini Grants for rural school districts served by rural electric cooperatives.

NREA CARES Award

This announcement is from the National Rural Education Association.

Great American Financial Resources Incorporated has entered into a partnership with the NREA to sponsor the NREA CARES Award. This award will be presented to a rural school district in recognition of outstanding effort to build strong ties between the school district and the community it serves.

The $5000 award will be presented to a NREA School District Member at the 98th Annual Convention in Kansas City on October 23, 2006.

The receiving school district must be a NREA School District Member.

Senator Baucus on Rural Education

Max Baucus (D-Montana) is one of the few U.S. Senators who has something specifically to say on his website about rural schools:

Rural Education: I'm very proud of Montana's schools, and I've always worked to ensure that all of our schools receive the funding and assistance they need in order to provide a high quality education for our kids. I've been especially vocal about the unique needs of our rural schools during my time in the Senate. I pushed for the creation of the Rural Education Achievement Program to provide additional federal funds to rural schools, and I'm currently fighting to expand funding for the program to assist rural schools even more. In addition, I joined Senators Enzi and Conrad in forming a new Senate Rural Education Caucus in January 2003, and we are working hard to highlight the needs as well as the strengths of America's rural schools.

Local Control

One value that seems to be common among rural educators is the belief in the local control of schools. I'm not quite sure what that means in practice, particularly given the plethora of federal and state education mandates.

Senator Wayne Allard, Republican of Colorado, is clear about his position on local control:

It is important that education remain locally controlled. Those closest to the students are in the best position to know their educational needs. Parents and school boards should be able to tailor educational curriculum to local needs. Federal financial support should not encumber local programs with federal mandates. After all, the children of today are the leaders of tomorrow and it is essential that we prepare them for what lies ahead. We must continue to search for ways to make a good system of education even better. more

Of particular note is the senator's position that parents and school boards are responsible for school curriuculum. The idea that parents have a role in curriculum decisions will come as news to many parents and educators.