Rural School Plight - Part 1

Make no mistake about it, for the most part rural schools are in the midst of a deep crisis. And in some ways, as you will see, there are striking and alarming similarities to the plight of urban schools. But more on this comarison in the days to come. For now let's take a look at the crisis in rural school districts.

In many parts of America the rural classroom has undergone some significant changes. It's always been the case that instructional expenditures, per pupil, have been lower than the national average. That gap is widening with each passing year. Add to this scenario is the fact that many local manufacturing businesses are no longer in operation and one can see why there are fewer dollars to spending on education.

As business enterprises have disappeared from these small towns there has been an attendant economic crisis in rural American. The magazine, NEA Today reports that 48% of rural students are from low income families. Too few dollars for schools and too few dollars for families to live on.

In the coming days I'll take a closer look at the growing crisis in America's rural classrooms.

Dick