Introduction
There are approximately 97,382 public schools in the United States. Of these, approximately 29,814 are rural schools.
All school districts must maintain a certain set of services no matter what the location - facilities, staff, transportation, and food services. It costs a small school more to provide these services. Rural schools face many challenges in acquiring the financial and human resources necessary to offer the quality of education students need. Rural school districts have a harder time attracting and retaining teachers and administrators. Small schools are often seen as a stepping stone to suburban schools where there is better pay, possibly fewer classes to prepare for and other perks. Rural districts may have difficulty offering advanced academic or vocational courses due to finances and available personnel. Rural school districts face closing or consolidating schools due to population loss or perceived cost saving measures.
Sources:
Number of public schools, by 2007 urban-centric locale types and state: 2005-06, National Center for Educational Statistics
Fact Sheet: What is Rural? & Why Small?, American Association of School Administrators.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tools
Afterschool.gov
Web site
Lists federal resources that support children and youth during out-of-school hours. Instructs how to run a program, activity ideas, and resources.
Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement
Web site
Designed to assist schools and districts involved in school reform by providing information about research based strategies to help achieve this goal.
Center for Rural Education
Web site
Disseminates information regarding research and practice on a wide range of topics of particular importance to schools and communities in rural America and to bring renewed attention to the problems and issues of students in rural schools.
Center for the Study of Small/Rural Schools
Web site
Endorsed by the National Rural Education Association as one of its five recognized rural education research centers, the center assists small and rural schools in building and maintaining necessary knowledge bases, in the areas of school improvement and reform, restructuring, staff development, administration, and teaching.
Child Nutrition Programs
Web site
Lists state agencies administering the Child Nutrition Programs, guidance, regulations, policy, reimbursement rates, and more.
Children's Safety Network
Web site
National resource center for child and adolescent injury and violence prevention. Provides technical assistance and resources to state maternal and child health programs and other state health professionals who address injury and violence prevention.
Comprehensive Center Network
Web site
Comprised of 16 regional centers and five content centers to help low-performing schools and districts close achievement gaps and meet the goals of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
Cover the Uninsured
Web site
Works to reduce the number of uninsured children and adults who are eligible for low-cost or free health care coverage programs but are not enrolled.
Education: The State We're In
Web site
A comprehensive, state-by-state snapshot of education today in America. Seven of the most pressing education issues are explored in reports encompassing all 50 states. Individual state report cards provide a comprehensive look at education in each of the 50 states. Compares performance by ranking states from first to worst.
Find State and Local Education Resources
Web site
Users can select a state or territory from the map or list of states to find education resources in a specific area for people with disabilities.
Foundation for Rural Education and Development (FRED)
Database
Addresses the educational and developmental needs of rural areas. Mission is to sponsor programs and activities that improve the educational, social and economic conditions of rural areas. Provides funds to sponsor scholarships, awards and programs that directly benefit rural America.
Foundation Funding Guide: School Health
Web site
Lists state and national foundations with an interest in school health.
Head Start
Database
Serves the child development needs of preschool children (birth through age five) and their low-income families. Provides child-focused programs which increase the school readiness of young children in low-income families.
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Tools for Schools
Web site
A comprehensive resource to help schools maintain a healthy environment in school buildings by identifying, correcting, and preventing indoor air quality problems.
Making Health Academic
Web site
Provides information and resources to help state officials, education leaders, health professionals, families, and community leaders establish Coordinated School Health Programs.
MedlinePlus: Bullying
Web site
Provides research articles on bullying, various websites, organizations and more.
Navigating Resources for Rural Schools
Database
Provides access to data, studies, tabulations, and resources regarding rural education in the United States.
No Child Left Behind
Web site
Provides information on NCLB, including what the states are doing, readings, research, report cards, and more.
Resources for Rural Afterschool Programs
Database
Provides a list of programs and ongoing projects regarding after school programs for rural children.
RuralFathers.com
Web site
A website to help service agencies and early childhood educators-including Head Start and Early Head Start-develop or enhance an existing responsible fatherhood program and integrate services specifically for fathers.
Safe Routes to School Program
Web site
This program empowers communities to make walking and bicycling to school a safe and routine activity once again. The Program makes funding available for a wide variety of programs and projects, from building safer street crossings to establishing programs that encourage children and their parents to walk and bicycle safely to school.
Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: Model-based Estimates for States, Counties & School Districts
Web site
Provides current estimates of selected income and poverty statistics for states, counties, and school districts.
State Contacts and Information
Web site
Locates state department of education, state contacts and organizations, ED press releases for your state, and other state information.
Stop Bullying Now Campaign
Web site
Offers educational materials for parents, educators and health professionals. Kid oriented website which provides flash movies, games, and tips.
Tool Kit on Teaching and Assessing Students with Disabilities
Web site
A compilation of current information including research briefs and resources designed to improve instruction, assessment, and accountability for students with disabilities to help states move forward in improving results for all students with disabilities. The Tool Kit will assist state personnel, schools, and families in their efforts to ensure that all students with disabilities receive a quality education.
UCLA School Mental Health Project
Web site
Provides documents, news, and resources for the mental health needs of students and school staff. Includes mental health information for students affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Funding
Best Buy Teach Award Program
Grants to schools to recognize creative uses of interactive technology in K-12 classrooms.
Beyond Words: The Dollar General School Library Relief Program
Benefits public school libraries recovering from major disasters. The fund provides grants for books, media and/or equipment that support learning in a school library environment.
Coca-Cola Foundation
Support for educational programs in higher education, classroom teaching and learning, and international education.
CVS Caremark Community Grants
Grants to support children with disabilities and healthcare for the uninsured.
Do Something Plum Youth Grants
Funding for sustainable community action projects, programs or organizations.
Ethyl Grant Program
Funding for rural communities and schools.
Healthy Sprouts Awards
These awards support school garden programs that use the garden to teach about nutrition and the issue of hunger in the United States.
HeartRescue Grant Program
Grants to increase awareness and education of sudden cardiac death, early defibrillation, and the need for early intervention among community leaders, first responder organizations and the public.
Leadership in School Nutrition
Acknowledges and promotes positive partnerships between dairy processors and schools through innovations in milk programming using kid-appealing plastic packaging, nationally known as the New Look of School Milk.
Libri Books for Children Program
Donates new, quality, hardcover children's books for small, rural public libraries in the United States.
Love Your Veggies Nationwide School Lunch Campaign
Grants to support programs that increase student access to, and consumption of, fresh vegetables and fruits during school meals.
Lowe's Toolbox for Education Program
Grants for public school improvement projects.
Microsoft Unlimited Potential: Community Technology Skills Program Grants
Grants to provide nonprofit organizations with funding to support technology training programs.
National School Lunch/After School Snack Program
Funding to provide nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day.
NEA Foundation Learning & Leadership Grants
Grants to support public school teachers, public education support professionals, and/or faculty and staff in public institutions of higher education.
NREA Mini-Grant Program
Available to rural classroom teachers who focus on rural classroom projects that feature an investigation of the science of energy or electricity.
Regional Community Health Grants Program
This program provides funding focused on reducing disparities in health care among racial and ethnic populations in eligible geographic areas.
RGK Foundation Grants
Grants that support projects in the broad areas of education, community, and medicine/health.
Ronald McDonald House Charities Grant Program
Grants to organizations that help children read, provide nutritious after-school meals, offer life-changing surgeries, or help prevent life-threatening disease.
Rural and Low-Income School Program
Formula grants to State educational agencies (SEAs), which in turn award subgrants to eligible LEAs either competitively or on a formula basis.
School Breakfast Program (SBP)
Provides cash assistance to States to operate nonprofit breakfast programs in schools and residential childcare institutions.
Shade Structure Program
Funds for the purchase for permanent shade structures to non-profit organizations in need of shade for outdoor locations.
Special Milk Program
A program that provides milk to children in schools, child care institutions and eligible camps that do not participate in other Federal child nutrition meal service programs.
Summer Food Service Program
Funding to provide free, nutritious meals and snacks to help children in low-income areas get the nutrition they need during the summer months.
Technology Grants for Rural Schools
Technology Grants for Rural Schools program was created to help meet the growing need for innovative technology in the classroom.
USDA Community Facilities Loan and Grant Program
Funding to construct, enlarge, or improve essential community facilities for health care, public safety, and public services in rural areas.
Youth Garden Grants Program
Helps children reap rewards and vital life lessons from working in gardens and habitats.
Inactive Funding
Inactive Funding Opportunities -
Lists additional funding programs for this topic that are not currently accepting applications. Programs that are inactive may be offered again in the future.
Maps & Map Collections
High School Graduates
Geographic coverage: United States
Printable map that shows the percent of population with a high school diploma or higher educational attainment. Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Population and Housing, 2000.
Date: 2000
Regulations, Forms & Other Useful Documents
Afterschool Programs Meeting Youth Needs in Rural America
Sponsoring organization: Afterschool Alliance
Discusses the challenges of providing afterschool programs in rural communities. Describes successful afterschool programs in rural areas of Maine, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Washington, and Wisconsin.
American Library Association Task force on Rural School, Tribal and Public Libraries: Final Report to the Council of the American Library Association
Sponsoring organization: American Library Association
Summarizes the results of a survey of libraries in rural communities. Describes challenges facing rural libraries and resources available to them.
Date: 06 / 2004
Beating the Odds: High Performing, Small High Schools in the Rural South
Sponsoring organization: Rural School and Community Trust
Discusses site visits to five small, high-performing rural high schools in the south, as well as policy options, and challenges faced by these schools.
Date: 2004
Best Fiscal Management Practices for Rural Schools
Author(s): Jerry Johnson
Sponsoring organization: Rural School and Community Trust
Highlights some of the leading policy issues faced by education stakeholders and presents rural-specific strategies to ensure both sound fiscal management practices and a high quality education for all students.
Date: 11 / 2004
Breaking the Fall: Cushioning the Impact of Rural Declining Enrollment
Author(s): Lorna Jimerson
Sponsoring organization: Rural School and Community Trust
Highlights the role that state educational policies have in either magnifying the challenges of declining enrollment, or mitigating them. Contains 20 policy recommendations, primarily focused on state funding formulas.
Date: 02 / 2006
Building Healthier Schools: Local Collaborations to Promote Nutrition and Physical Activity
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
Describes local public health agency programs undertaken with schools and school decision-makers to encourage students to make good nutrition and physical activity decisions as well as create better school health environments.
Date: 06 / 2005
Bullying in Middle Schools: Prevention and Intervention
Author(s): Amy Milsom, Laura L. Gallo
Sponsoring organization: National Middle School Association
Discusses bullying in United States Middle Schools. Includes statistics and data, consequences of bullying, and prevention strategies.
Journal citation: Middle School Journal Volume 37 Issue 3 Pages: 12-19
Date: 01 / 2006
Comparison of Bullying in Four Rural Middle and High Schools
Author(s): Jody Isernhagen, Sandra Harris
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Education Association
Results of a study of 819 rural middle and high school students regarding bullying, how often and where bullying occurred, and who students told.
Journal citation: Rural Educator
Date: 04 / 2004
Connecting Rural School Improvement and Community Development
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory
Discusses ways in which rural communities and schools can work together to guarantee their students receive the best education possible.
Devil is in the Details: Rural Sensitive Best-Practices for Accountability Under No Child Left Behind
Author(s): Lorna Jimerson
Sponsoring organization: Rural School and Community Trust
Focuses on 12 areas where state accountability plans have special significance for rural schools and districts. Looks at 15 states with rural populations, AL, AK, AR, LA, MA, MS, MT, NB, NM, NC, ND, SC, VT, WV, and WY.
Date: 01 / 2004
Evaluation of the Impact of Rural School Consolidation: What challenges may a new round of rural school consolidations have on the safety, educational performance and social environment of rural communities?
Author(s): Dennis Purcell, Rexanna Shackelford
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Education Association
Discusses considerations necessary to evaluate the impact of rural school consolidation, focuses on student, family and community safety, and addresses controversial and challenging issues when considering school closings.
Date: 01 / 2005
Finding Resources to Support Rural Out-of-School Time Initiatives: Tools for Out-of-School Time and Community School Initiatives
Sponsoring organization: Finance Project
Discusses the resource challenges that program leaders in rural communities are facing. Describes federal programs that can support
rural out-of-school time programs and identifies strategies that state and local leaders can use to support and sustain out-of-school time in rural communities.
Date: 02 / 2003
Helping Kids Deal With Bullies
Sponsoring organization: Nemours Foundation
Discusses the different ways kids bully, how kids bully, signs of bullying, and how parents can help a child who is being bullied.
Date: 06 / 2007
Hermit Crab Solution: Creative Alternatives for Improving Rural School Facilities and Keeping Them Close to Home
Sponsoring organization: Edvantia
Strategies to help rural people keep their small schools in their communities. Available for purchase.
Date: 2004
Homeless, Runaway and Migrant Children are Now Automatically Eligible for Free School Meals
Sponsoring organization: Food Research and Action Center
Describes a provision of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, which makes migrant, homeless and runaway children and youth automatically eligible for free school breakfast and lunch.
Date: 05 / 2006
How Are Rural School Districts Meeting the Teacher Quality Requirements of No Child Left Behind?
Sponsoring organization: American Association of School Administrators
Describes a study of rural school administrators with regard to recruiting and retaining teachers and complying with the teacher quality requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
Date: 10 / 2003
Implementing the No Child Left Behind Act: Implications for Rural Schools and Districts
Author(s): Cynthia Reeves
Sponsoring organization: North Central Regional Educational Laboratory
Includes a discussion of the unique challenges NCLB presents for rural schools and suggests strategies that hold promise for helping rural schools meet federal requirements.
Date: 2003
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Education
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA), Public Law 108-446 as printed in the Federal Register. This is the nation's law that works to improve results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities.
Journal citation: Federal Register Pages: 118
Date: 12 / 2004
Learning Opportunities for Your Child Through Alternate Assessments
Author(s): Rachel Quenemoen, Martha Thurlow
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Education
Introduces parents to the "big ideas" contained in school improvement efforts under NCLB and IDEA. Provides information to help ensure that children can benefit from these efforts.
Date: 03 / 2007
Most Rural Students Left Behind Under Department of Education's New Flexibility Rules Regarding Highly Qualified Teachers
Sponsoring organization: Rural School and Community Trust
Discusses the flexibility provisions in the Highly Qualified Teacher (HQT) requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Describes the challenges rural districts face in meeting this requirement and how many rural counties are not eligible for flexibility.
New Traditions: Options for Rural High School Excellence
Sponsoring organization: Southern Governors' Association
Discusses the challenges facing rural high schools and identifies policies that can address these challenges. Includes examples of successful rural high schools in Maine, Mississippi and North Carolina.
Date: 09 / 2004
NMSA Research Summary: Bullying
Author(s): Maureen Lorimer
Sponsoring organization: National Middle School Association
Discusses bullying, particularly victims of bullying, coping mechanisms, what educator's can do, and statistics and data.
Date: 02 / 2006
No Child Left Behind Act: Additional Assistance and Research on Effective Strategies Would Help Small Rural Districts
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
Discusses challenges rural school districts face in meeting the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, strategies rural schools are using to meet the requirements, expenditures related to compliance, and support provided by the U.S. Department of Education.
Date: 09 / 2004
No Child Left Behind Act: Education Actions Needed to Improve Local Implementation and State Evaluation of Supplemental Educational Services
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
Discusses the No Child Left Behind Act requirement for certain schools to offer low-income students supplemental educational services (SES). Covers the challenges that rural school districts face in meeting SES requirements.
Date: 08 / 2006
No Child Left Behind Act: Education Needs to Provide Additional Technical Assistance and Conduct Implementation Studies for School Choice Provision
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
Discusses the school choice provision of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) of 2001. Addresses the challenges of providing school choice for districts that must offer it, including barriers facing rural school districts.
Date: 12 / 2004
No Child Left Behind: A Guide for Small and Rural Districts
Sponsoring organization: American Association of School Administrators
Guide addressing 15 areas of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act which most impact rural areas. For each area, the text of the legislation is followed by a discussion of policy implications, and examples of how to implement NCLB in rural districts.
No Child Left Behind: A Toolkit for Teachers
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Education
Supports state and local efforts regarding No Child Left Behind. Includes guidance on the
law and how it supports teachers and schools,
information on special education, English language learners, scientifically based research, and examples of initiatives to improve teaching and learning.
Date: 2004
Parents' Perceptions of the Rural School Bus Ride
Author(s): Ramage, Rob, Howley, Aimee
Findings from a study of the perceptions of 26 parents and 37 students about the experience of long rural bus rides.
Journal citation: Rural Educator
Date: 2005
Primary Progress, Secondary Challenge: A State-by-State Look at Student Achievement Patterns
Author(s): Daria Hall, Shana Kennedy
Sponsoring organization: e-NC Initiative
Highlights state-level achievement trends for elementary, middle and high school students by race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
Date: 02 / 2006
Profiles of Participants in the National School Lunch Program: Data from Two National Surveys
Author(s): Constance Newman, Katherine Ralston
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
Reports new estimates of NSLP participant
characteristics using two national surveys: the 2001 Panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation and the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Date: 08 / 2006
Promise and the Power of Distance Learning in Rural Education
Author(s): Vicki Hobbs
Sponsoring organization: Rural School and Community Trust
Explains how the benefits of distance learning, and two-way interactive television can far outweigh the costs - allowing the small, rural schools that educate one-third of our nation's children to retain the assets associated with their small size, while overcoming curricular limitations.
Date: 08 / 2004
Recruiting and Retaining High-Quality Teachers in Rural Areas
Sponsoring organization: Edvantia
Discusses challenges rural districts face in recruiting and retaining qualified teachers.
Date: 12 / 2003
Role of Education: Promoting the Economic and Social Vitality of Rural America
Sponsoring organization: Southern Rural Development Center
Discusses the relationship between rural schools and communities. Includes nine articles covering the impact of education on the local economy, links between rural schools and communities, and how to create successful rural schools.
Date: 01 / 2005
Rural Education at a Glance
Author(s): Robert Gibbs
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
Statistics on rural educational attainment and overview of the impact of education levels on rural economic development.
Date: 01 / 2004
Rural Youth are More Likely to be Idle
Author(s): Anastasia Snyder, Diane McLaughlin
Sponsoring organization: Carsey Institute
Discusses how rural young adults are more likely than urban to not be in school and not be working.
Date: 02 / 2008
School Mental Health Services in the United States 2002 - 2003
Author(s): Susan Foster, Mary Rollefson, Teresa Doksum, Denise Noonan, Gail Robinson, Judith Teich
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Describes the first national survey of mental health services in a representative sample of the approximately 83,000 public elementary,
middle, and high schools and their associated school districts in the United States.
Date: 2005
Shortened School Week Pays Off for Some Rural Schools: Downsizing the School Week
Discusses the four-day school week and how it has remained and even grown in popularity, especially in the rural west.
Date: 05 / 2003
Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts
Author(s): John M. Bridgeland
Sponsoring organization: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
A report that discusses how the majority of high school dropouts believe they could have succeeded if given more personal academic assistance and real-world learning opportunities. Paper includes findings from focus groups and interviews involving over 450, 16 to 25-year olds who did not finish high school.
Date: 03 / 2006
Small Schools, Small Districts: Good for Rural Kids, Economies, and Democracy
Author(s): Rachel Tompkins
Sponsoring organization: Demos
Discusses the benefits that maintaining small rural schools have for the community and for students.
Journal citation: Around the Kitchen Table Issue 14
Date: 02 / 2006
Special Challenges of the No Child Left Behind Act for Rural Schools and Districts
Author(s): Lorna Jimerson
Sponsoring organization: Rural School and Community Trust
This paper outlines the characteristics of rural schools and districts that create special problems in implementing the legislations and summarizes the major challenges of the act for these districts.
Date: 11 / 2003
Spotlight on Rural Research: Importance of Rural Schools
Author(s): Thomas Rowley
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Discusses how rural education and community development are interrelated. High achieving schools and related human capital investment strategies are key ingredients in the promotion of
sustainable development at the local level.
Journal citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 2005
Status of Education in Rural America
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Education Statistics
Measures education conditions in America’s rural schools.
Date: 06 / 2007
Study Examines Differences between High and Low Achieving Rural High Schools
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Affairs
Examines what factors are needed to create high-achieving rural schools in a study titled The Qualities That Differentiate High-Achieving and Low-Achieving High-Poverty Rural High Schools by Dr. Perri Applegate of the University of Oklahoma.
Journal citation: Center for Rural Affairs Newsletter
Date: 09 / 2008
Trends in Rural School Enrollment: A 20-Year Perspective
Sponsoring organization: Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health
Data on rural school enrollment shows the majority of rural schools have had either stagnant or declining enrollments over the past 10 years. Enrollment projections from the Pennsylvania Department of Education suggest that this trend will continue for at least another 10 years.
Date: 07 / 2005
Tutors on School Buses Offer Homework Help
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Describes the Traveling Tutors program in Nevada, which provides teachers to tutor elementary students on long bus rides after school.
Journal citation: Rural Monitor Volume 10 Issue 1
Date: 2003
Violence and Rural Teens: Teen Violence, Drug Use, and School-Based Prevention Services in Rural America (Executive Summary)
Author(s): Michael D. Mink, Charity G. Moore, Andy Johnson, Janice C. Probst, Amy Martin
Sponsoring organization: South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
Describes a study which had three main purposes: (1) to explore the prevalence of violence-related
exposures and drug use among rural teens, (2) to investigate the effects of race and gender on the
risk of exposure to violence and drug use, and (3) to compare the policies and mental health care
services of rural and urban schools.
Date: 03 / 2005
Whatever It Takes: How Twelve Communities Are Reconnecting Out-of-School Youth
Author(s): Nancy Martin, Samuel Halperin
Sponsoring organization: American Youth Policy Forum
Documents what educators, policymakers, and community leaders across the country are doing to reconnect out-of-school youth to the social and economic mainstream. Provides background on the high school dropout problem and describes in-depth what 12 communities are doing to reconnect dropouts to education and employment training. Includes descriptions of major national program models serving out-of-school youth.
Date: 2006
Why Rural Matters 2005: The Facts about Rural Education in the 50 States
Author(s): Jerry Johnson
Sponsoring organization: Rural School and Community Trust
Analyzes the importance of rural education in each of the 50 states. Calls attention to the urgency with which policymakers in each state should address the problems of rural education. Includes statistics and data.
Date: 05 / 2005
Wired Nurses Help Rural Schools
High-resolution cameras and speedy Internet connections to the clinic in Norfolk are helping some cash-strapped schools provide nursing services to schools without nurses and ones in rural areas.
Journal citation: California - Rural Health Advocate Volume 2 Issue 8
Date: 04 / 2003
Youth Indicators 2005: Trends in the Well-Being of American Youth
Author(s): Mary Ann Fox, Brooke A. Connolly, Thomas D. Snyder
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Education Statistics
Focuses on American youth and young adults between the ages of 14 to 24 years old. Addresses family, schooling, work, community, and health. Includes statistics and data.
Date: 07 / 2005
Journals
Journal of Research in Rural Education
Publishes results of educational research conducted in or relevant to rural settings.
Rural Education News
Quarterly newsletter of the National Rural Education Association.
Rural Policy Matters
Monthly newsletter covering news of interest to citizens and community groups working on state-level policy issues affecting rural schools.
Rural Roots
Shares some of the incredible variety of place-based education work that is happening around the country.
Organizations
Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Nationwide initiative dedicated to improving the health and educational performance of children through better nutrition and physical activity in schools. Provides tools and resources to support healthy schools.
Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
Federal government
Funds state, local, and tribal organizations to provide family assistance (welfare), child support, child care, Head Start, child welfare, and other programs relating to children and families. It is part of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
Afterschool Alliance
Nonprofit/Foundation
Dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of afterschool programs and advocating for quality, affordable programs for all children.
American Association of School Administrators (AASA)
National organization
Supports and develops effective school system leaders who are dedicated to the highest quality public education for all children.
American Council on Rural Special Education (ACRES)
National organization
Organization of special educators, general educators, related service providers, administrators, teacher trainers, researchers, and parents who are committed to the enhancement of services to students and individuals living in rural America.
American School Health Association (ASHA)
National organization
The American School Health Association's mission is to protect and promote the health and well-being of children and youth through coordinated school health programs as a foundation for school success.
Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice (CECP)
National organization
Supports and promotes a national preparedness to foster the development and the adjustment of children with or at risk of developing serious emotional disturbance.
Center for Health and Health Care in Schools (CHHCS)
National organization
Nonpartisan policy and program resource center located at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. CHHCS was established to explore ways to strengthen the well being of children and youth through effective health programs and health care services in schools.
Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use (CSRIU)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Provides outreach services and guidance to parents, educators, librarians, policy-makers, and others addressing issues of the safe and responsible use of the Internet. Provides effective, empowerment strategies to assist young people in gaining the knowledge, skills, motivation, and self-control to use the Internet and other information technologies in a safe and responsible manner.
Center for School Mental Health (CSMH)
National organization
Analyzes sources of information, develops and disseminates policy briefs, and promotes successful and innovative mental health policies and programs in schools.
Center for Schools and Communities
National organization
Focuses on prevention and intervention initiatives operated by schools, organizations and agencies serving children, youth and families. Bullying Prevention is one of their initiatives.
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA)
National organization
Works to build and strengthen the capacity of community coalitions to create safe, healthy and drug-free communities.
Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Teaches kids how to recognize and resist the direct and subtle pressures that influence them to experiment with alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other drugs.
Education Commission of the States (ECS)
National organization
Works to improve public education by facilitating the exchange of information, ideas and experiences among state policymakers and education leaders.
MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership
National organization
Works with state and local partnerships to provide resources, services, and support needed to serve young people. Includes programs for after school mentoring as well as caregiving programs for children whose parent(s) are in prison.
National Assembly on School-Based Health Care
National organization
Encourages collaborations between schools and communities to ensure that all children and adolescents have access to health care.
National Association of Higher Educational Facilities Authorities (NAHEFA)
National organization
Provides assistance and support to its member higher education authorities through education, communication, advocacy and leadership development so its members can better serve their varied constituents.
National Association of School Nurses (NASN)
National organization
Improves the health and educational success of children and youth by developing and providing leadership to advance school nursing practice.
National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE)
National organization
Works to strengthen state leadership in educational policymaking, promote excellence in the education of all students, advocate equality of access to educational opportunity, and assure continued citizen support for public education.
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
Federal government
Primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data that are related to education in the United States and other nations. Part of the U.S. Department of Education.
National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention
National organization
Provides technical assistance and training to 115 school districts and communities that receive grants from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Includes resources on bullying and bully prevention.
National Center for Rural Early Childhood Learning Initiatives (NCRECLI)
National organization
Focuses on research on early childhood policy and practice in rural America.
National Education Association (NEA)
National organization
Committed to advancing the cause of public education. Supports the development of programs that recognize and deal with the needs of students, educators, school employees and communities in the nation's vast rural areas.
National Head Start Association (NHSA)
National organization
National school readiness program in the United States which provides comprehensive education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and their families.
National Indian Education Association (NIEA)
National organization
Supports traditional Native cultures and values, enables Native learners to become contributing members of their communities, promotes Native control of educational institutions, and improves educational opportunities and resources for American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians throughout the United States.
National Middle School Association (NMSA)
National organization
Committed to the educational and developmental needs of young adolescents. Strives for schools to be academically excellent, developmentally responsive, and socially equitable for every young adolescent.
National Rural Education Association (NREA)
National organization
Oldest established national organization of its kind in the United States. Serves as a national advocate and representative for rural education at all levels.
National School Boards Association (NSBA)
National organization
Includes a federation of state school boards associations. Is the nationwide organization representing public school governance.
Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS)
Federal government
Administers, coordinates, and recommends policy for improving quality and excellence of programs and activities for drug and violence prevention that promote the health and well being of students in elementary and secondary schools, and institutions of higher education.
Organizations Concerned About Rural Education (OCRE)
National organization
Coalition of over two dozen organizations which are dedicated to the improvement of public education and economic development in rural America.
Rural School and Community Trust
National organization
Works with a network of schools and community groups striving to improve the quality of education, state policy on education, and community life. Emphasis is national but pays particular focus to rural places distressed by historic patterns of poverty and racism, or stressed by declines in population, major changes in population composition and fundamental economic change.
School Nutrition Association (SNA)
National organization
Recognized as the authority on school nutrition, a national, nonprofit professional organization representing more than 55,000 members who provide high-quality, low-cost meals to students across the country.
School-Based Health Care Policy Program
Nonprofit/Foundation
Works to increase the sustainability of school-based health centers.
U.S. Department of Education
Federal government
Works to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence for all Americans.
Terms & Acronyms
General Education Development (GED) Provides people over the age of 16 the opportunity to earn a certificate or diploma that is widely recognized as the equivalent of a high school diploma.
Locale Codes Released in 2006, the Census Bureau created new measures of locale based on improved geocoding technology and the 2000 OMB definitions
of metro areas that rely less on population size and county boundaries than proximity of an address to an urbanized area. Locale codes are assigned to each school according to the school’s physical longitude and latitude.
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) The law that sets deadlines for states to expand the scope and frequency of student testing, revamp their accountability systems and guarantee that every teacher is qualified in their subject area.
Preschoolers Children between the ages of three to five years.
School Consolidation Process of dissolving or reorganizing one or more schools or school districts into one new unit.
School Dissolution Merger in which one school closes and joins with another.
Success Stories
Cold Water Safety in the Schools Program
This program was established to deliver cold water safety and survival training to rural teachers, paraprofessionals, pool staff, and rural elementary, middle, and high school children throughout Alaska.
For Our Children
The project objective was to provide improved health care services to 2,500 K–12 students by using grant funds to provide a full-time Registered Nurse and one dedicated social worker to local public schools.
Healthy Child Project
A partnership between a community action agency and six rural school districts established preventive health clinics in the schools of six northwest Iowa counties, significantly improving the access and availability of preventive health care for children 0 to 18 years of age.
Healthy Kids Clinic
Three local school districts, two local health departments, one nonprofit health agency, and all local area physicians and dental providers formed a consortium to provide health and dental services to students in the schools regardless of income or insurance status.
Humphreys County Memorial Hospital Rural Health Outreach Program
The project’s main goals were to increase the numbers of K–12 students who are covered by health insurance, who use the health care services provided, and who follow up on recommended health care; to increase transportation to primary and specialty health providers; and to decrease the number of families of K–12 students who are noncompliant in regard to their children’s health needs.
Loudon School Health Consortium
A school-based health center to bridge the gap between health education and services.
Marshalltown Community/School Health
Outreach grant funds were used to implement a school-based health program designed to improve the overall health status of school-aged children and to teach families how to access medical and dental services in the community.
Nelson County Rural Health Outreach
This Rural Health Outreach Program launched a school nursing program that placed registered nurses in each of the six Nelson County public schools as well as creating a supplementary health education program provided by a registered nurse who traveled to each site.
North Idaho School Nursing Services Cooperative
The primary goal of the consortium was to improve the effectiveness of school nursing services by standardizing policies and protocols for medication delivery, emergency care, and care plan management of medically fragile and at-risk students, and to provide care plan management for vulnerable children in the public school system.
Rockingham County Student Health Centers
Morehead Memorial Hospital of Eden, North Carolina, has collaborated with existing county services to establish a student health center in each of the county’s four high schools.
Rural Health Outreach Grant Program (West Wendover, Nevada)
Four consortium members created this program to provide local access to mental health services and to provide a school-based program teaching resiliency and social skills to school-aged children and their parents.
Rural Health Outreach School-Based Health Program
Eleven organizations participated in the consortium which offered comprehensive medical evaluation and assessment, physical exams, vision and hearing screenings, nutritional assessment, dental screenings, mental health and substance abuse services, and violence and pregnancy prevention services to school-aged children.
School Health Network (Canton, Illinois)
This network was designed to increase access to health care for school-aged children, improve student health status, and decrease absenteeism as well as launching a “Prevention Coalition” to address four key public health challenges in local schools: alcohol and other drug use; violence; teen pregnancy; and transmission of HIV and other STDs.
Youth Health Initiative
School-based health clinics were established in six schools in two counties with successful innovations that included free immunizations for all youth in the targeted schools, a social worker to identify and enroll students eligible for Medicaid or CHIP and to perform case management on all enrollees, and teen educational programs and counseling services.
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