Schools/Students Served: The Vermont Rural Partnership consists of 18 small schools in the "Northeast Kingdom" region of Vermont. The communities in the Vermont Rural Partnership range in size from Belvedere with 39 students and 270 community people to the Morrisville community, a town of approximately 8,000 with three schools serving 1,000 students.

Background: Vermont leads the nation in the percentage of its people who reside in towns of fewer than 2,500 people. The predominantly white population served by the Vermont Rural Partnership reflects the population of the state. The communities involved have limited employment opportunities, with many parents engaged in seasonal employment. The 18 schools in the Partnership form an alliance of Vermont's smallest, most rural, economically challenged schools and communities.

Goals: The schools of the Vermont Rural Partnership are working together toward five common goals: 1) the development of curriculum of place for grades K-12; 2) the promotion of youth leadership skills and the active involvement of youth in community life; 3) the development of assets in youth and their communities; 4) continued development of assessment and documentation; and 5) the development of local "communities of purpose" to facilitate the involvement of communities in schools and schools in the communities.

Accomplishments: The successful place-based work of the Vermont Rural Partnership has led the State of Vermont to add two locally based standards to the state's Framework of Standards for schools - one on "sustainability," and another on "understanding place." Formal partnerships with several statewide organizations have helped the Vermont Rural Partnership extend its reach. These include The Snelling Center for Government at the University of Vermont (a partner in community engagement work), Learn and Serve America (a partner in youth leadership and service learning), Foodworks, Inc. (a partner in developing curriculum of place), Resiliency Network (working with VRP on asset development), and the John Dewey Project at the University of Vermont (partnering with VRP on assessment issues). The schools in the Vermont Rural Partnership actively seek community issues with which they can help. They use school resources, and students work alongside community members to solve community problems and meet community needs. Student work is obvious in the communities, and work by community members is an important part of the schools. Community heritage, environmental and human resources are utilized to enrich children's lives and build toward a sustainable future.

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