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 The Rural Trust publishes a variety of reports, research and newsletters, some are available for sale; some are viewable through our website. Subjects covered are listed below. To place an order for any publication or video listed here, please go to our publications order form. Assessment and Standards Assessment and Standards The Devil Is in the Details (January 2004) by Lorna Jimerson States have some flexibility in how they implement the specific provisions of the federal "No Child Left Behind" Act. The way states write their implementation plans can make all the difference to rural schools and the kids who attend them. In this new report, Rural Trust policy analyst Lorna Jimerson evaluates how 15 different states are implementing NCLB, and highlights the most "rural sensitive" practices. Free Echoes in the Hallway (September 2001) A 30-minute video based on the play by teacher Joseph P. Hiney This student performance produced by the Rural Trust Policy Program raises many troubling topics teens face -- abuse, discrimination, suicide, pregnancy, school violence -- all while trying to make sense of a standardized system of schooling. Recommended as a powerful conversation/meeting starter for education and youth advocacy groups, faculty, administrators, students and policymakers. More information available at www.echoesinthehallway.com. $20 Assessing Student Work (January 2001) Rural Trust Documentation and Assessment Team, Harvard University Graduate School of Education An update of the earlier Assessment Monograph, this report discusses the limitations of standardized testing in evaluating student progress, and offers alternative methods to assess project and place-based student work. $10 Public School Standards: Discussing the Case for Community Control From November 1998 through February 1999, the Rural Trust's Policy Program hosted an online discussion of public school standards. They reflect the thoughts of several hundred parents, educators, policy makers, and interested individuals from 45 states and three countries who weighed in on the standards issue as it affects rural communities. The proceedings of this lively debate are available online. Standards in Public Education: A Policy Statement of the Rural School and Community Trust Rural Trust This document articulates the Rural Trust's views on academic standards, with particular emphasis on the role of community input in setting and maintaining standards. Ann C. Lewis, columnist for KAPPAN magazine, called this policy statement "one of the finest philosophical documents to come out of the standards movement." Free. The Misuse of Test Scores in Determining School Finances by Elizabeth Beeson, Rural Trust Policy Analyst This short article discusses how score results can be skewed by sample size and other factors. Parent Participation, School Accountability and Rural Education: The Impact of KERA on Kentucky School Facilities Policy by Alan J. DeYoung with support from the Rural Trust This report looks at some results of the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990, a landmark attempt to reduce inequity statewide. Facilities and Transportation For a discussion of facilities policy and links to numerous articles, visit our facilities network. Rural School Facilities: State Policies that Provide Students with an Environment to Promote Learning (June 2004) by Ann McColl and Gregory C. Malhoit Even though states nationwide spend $30 billion annually on school facilities, rural schools are frequently ignored, neglected, or under-funded-a condition that negatively impacts student learning, according to a major policy report released by the Rural School and Community Trust. The report, Rural School Facilities: State Policies that Provide Students with an Environment to Promote Learning, chronicles the challenges faced by rural school districts to build and maintain quality schools and offers policy options for fair and effective state school facilities programs. Free. Land for Granted: The Effects of Acreage Policies on Rural Schools and Communities (December 2003) by Barbara Kent Lawrence, with support from the Rural Trust In many states, receiving state aid to build a new school--or renovate an existing one--is contingent on compliance with state policies that state the minimum acreage necessary for a particular type of school. This report from the Rural School and Community Trust (Rural Trust) finds that these minimum acreage requirements--imposed in 23 states--often create special problems for rural school districts. Land for Granted: The Effects of Acreage Policies on Rural Schools and Communities explains the kinds of policies in effect in various states, and outlines their impacts on small and rural school districts. Free. Save a Penny, Lose a School: The Real Cost of Deferred Maintenance (June 2003) by Barbara Kent Lawrence, with support from the Rural Trust Save a Penny, Lose a School, is the second report in a series of policy briefs on rural education. This brief describes the problem of deferred maintenance for school facilities, especially from the perspective of small rural districts. It examines the extent, causes, and consequences of deferred maintenance as well as recommendations for policy, practice, and funding that can help correct this national problem. Copies of the report are available free of charge by calling Garfield Gardner at (703) 243-1487. Lowering the Overhead by Raising the Roof: And Other Rural Trust Strategies to Reduce the Costs of Your Small School (May 2002) by Barbara Kent Lawrence, with support from the Rural Trust This report shares practices that can help communities reduce the costs of maintaining, building, and renovating small schools. $5 School Consolidation and Transportation Policy: An Empirical and Institutional Analysis, by Kieran Killeen and John Sipple of Cornell University, provides an overview of both school and district level change in the U.S. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.) The Rural School Bus Ride in Five States (August 2001) by Craig Howley, with support from the Rural Trust This report provides the first detailed picture of the features of the rural school bus ride and reveals troubling information about the long commutes adults force on rural children. Long Rides, Tough Hides: Enduring Long School Bus Rides by Belle Zars with support from the Rural Trust This report examines the increase in rural busing that has accompanied the consolidation of schools and points out neglected areas of research. Rural Trust Newsletters
Rural Roots Rural Roots attempts to share the incredible variety of place-based education work that is going on around the country. Stories cover the challenges being faced by rural school communities, as well as successful projects and ideas.Click here to learn more.
Rural Policy Matters Rural Policy Matters is a monthly newsletter dedicated to helping rural communities understand, demand and act on education policies affecting them. Stories cover local efforts to improve rural Select a Policy Issue. Click here to read the most recent issue, and to view an archive of past issues.
Rural Matters Click here to view an archive of Rural Matters, the Rural Challenge's first newsletter. Place-based and Community Education New White Paper Presents "The Case for Place-Based" By Dr. Emeka Emekauwa, Edited by Doris Williams A new white paper from the Rural Trust's capacity building program shows how place-based learning has led to favorable academic outcomes for students in rural Alaska. "The Star With My Name" recounts the methods and successes of the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative using place-based learning with Alaska Native students in the state's small rural schools. The Star with My Name: The Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative and the Impact of Place-Based Education on Native Student Achievement (January 2004) Rural School Leadership in the Deep South By Doris Williams and Jereann King This two-part series intended to give public voice to school leaders in the South. The report comes from discussions of the Rural School Leaders Working Group, a group of 20 principals, superintendents and instructional supervisors from Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, who met to discuss the issues, challenges and opportunities for school leadership. The report is available for free from the Rural Trust electronically or in hard copy. The Double-Edged Legacy of School Desegregation (October 2002) A Framework for Professional Development (August 2003) Engaged Institutions: Impacting Vulnerable Youth Through Place-Based Learning (July 2003) By Jose Colchado, Vicki Hobbs, Michelle Hynes, Jereann King, Martin Newell, Sylvia Parker and Sandra Wilson With funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Rural Trust sponsored several researchers to develop case studies examining the connections between higher education institutions and vulnerable youth in communities that have chosen place-based education as a framework for student learning and community growth. The report explores the development of rural Education Renewal Zones in Missouri, an aquaculture project in northeastern Maine that is helping revitalize a small town's fishing economy, and a project in New Mexico focused on water use and conservation through using an "acequia" irrigation system. Engaged Institutions also features in-depth studies on other place-based learning partnerships including initiatives to preserve Navajo culture in Indian schools in Arizona, unique media arts projects in Appalachia, and a project aimed at improving writing skills using local culture in the Mississippi Delta. Communities and Schools: Getting Better Together In this video from the Rural School and Community Trust, discover how place-based education is helping small rural schools and the communities they serve improve teaching, learning and community life. Learn why rural education is so important, and why small schools are more effective than large ones. Find out why community involvement is so critical to school success, and how kids can do incredible things when academic learning is based on identifying real community needs and solving real-life community problems. $20 Learning in Place (May 2000) Annenberg Rural Challenge Research and Evaluation Program This report introduces the importance of learning in place: connecting the work of schools with what matters in local settings. It provides a variety of examples of place-based learning from Rural Trust sites to offer others possibilities and ideas to consider using in their own communities. $10 100 Days of Learning in Place: How a Small School Utilized 'Place-Based' Learning to Master State Academic Standards (June 2000) By James Lewicki This short paper documents one teacher's journey in using place-based curriculum for over 100 days with the same students. His students' test scores increased dramatically. He makes the case for place-based education, arguing that linking a school to the community will yield impressive dividends. $5 Living and Learning in Rural Schools and Communities and Lessons from the Field (February 1999) Annenberg Rural Challenge Research and Evaluation Program This two-volume set explores student work and the connection of that work to the students' rural communities in order to get close to the schooling process, enlarge understandings of a curriculum of place and its effects on student work and provide a variety of examples that might help others see larger possibilities for learning and teaching.$20 Place Value: An Educator's guide to Good Literature on Rural Lifeways, Environments, and Purposes of Education by Toni Haas & Paul Nachtigal Five bibliographical essays that review fiction and nonfiction writing that emphasizes how rural communities are forged by their particular ecology, politics, economy, values, and spirituality. Click here for ordering information from the publisher, the ERIC Clearinghouse for Rural Education and Small Schools. Standing Up for Community and School: Rural People Tell Their Stories (1999) by Bradwell Scott for the Rural Trust This reports tells the stories of seven individuals living in rural communities and their personal struggles with public policies. The booklet also includes a "What I Can Do" section with contact information for legislative hotlines and Departments of Education across the country. $5 What Difference Do Local Schools Make? A Literature Review and Bibliography by Priscilla Salant and Anita Waller with support from the Rural Trust This review provides a useful overview and explores the many arguments for community oriented local schools. Rural Education Research Teachers and Teaching Conditions in Rural Texas (June 2004) by Lorna Jimerson A new report from the Rural School and Community Trust, Teachers and Teaching Conditions in Rural Texas, reveals a number of areas of significant deficiencies as it examines the characteristics of the teaching environment and the teacher corps in rural Texas schools-where almost half a million students go to school each day. 2003 State Distance Learning Policy Study (November 2003) by Vicki Hobbs A research report from the Rural School and Community Trust in conjunction with the State Technology Directors Association, 2003 State Distance Learning Policy Study: A Non-Interpretive Analysis, details the extent and type of distance learning technologies currently in use across the U.S. and the role of state education agencies in the creation of distance learning policies, rules, and regulations. The Competitive Disadvantage: Teacher Compensation in Rural America (March 2003) by Lorna Jimerson The much publicized "No Child Left Behind" Act envisions a "highly qualified" teacher in every American classroom. It is a noble goal, to be sure, but according to this report, it is a goal that presents special challenges to already stressed rural schools struggling to recruit and retain qualified teachers. A severe teacher shortage, combined with rural teacher salaries that lag significantly behind those of urban and suburban teachers, will make it difficult to achieve the vision articulated in No Child Left Behind. The Competitive Disadvantage outlines the challenges in making sure that no rural children are left behind in the national quest for educational excellence. Networks and Clusters in the Rural Challenge (June 2000) Annenberg Rural Challenge Research and Evaluation Program This report synthesizes the gathered information on the network and cluster formation, structure and function developed over the first four years of the Annenberg Rural Challenge. These connections help to overcome the isolation of rural schools and communities, multiply the possibilities for sharing resources and illustrate the variety, yet consistency, of mission as well as process in undertaking this work on behalf of students, parents and community members living in rural places. $5 Where Has All the "Rural" Gone? Rural Education Research and Current Federal Reform (March 2001) by Topper Sherwood This piece indicated the need for increased rural education research, particularly research with federal backing and monitoring. Sherwood points to the flaws in the education funding system that are making the rural education researcher an "endangered species" and provides suggestions for the Bush administration, rural organizations and community members to change the course of research before it is too late. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) Why Rural Matters 2003: The Continuing Need for Every State to Take Action on Rural Education (February 2003) by Elizabeth Beeson, Rural Trust Policy Analyst and Marty Strange, Rural Trust Policy Director This is the second analysis by the Rural Trust of data on education in rural America from a wide variety of sources. The report's conclusion: specific policy attention to rural school needs is critically needed in many states. $10. Click here to download the Why Rural Matters 2003 order form. Rural School Finance Visit the Rural Education Finance Center for more information on available resources. A Reasonably Equal Share: Educational Equity in Vermont (February 2001) by Lorna Jimerson, Rural Trust Program Coordinator This report finds that Vermont's Equal Educational Opportunity Act of 1997 (Act 60) has significantly improved educational equity in the state and has achieved three main goals established by the state's Supreme Court and the Legislature: student resource equity, tax burden equity, and academic achievement equity. The findings suggest that Vermont is on the right course in the way it funds its schools. $5 How to Analyze Your State's Education Finance System (June 2001) by William Mathis for the Rural Trust. This workbook walks you through the complex maze of information gathering and analysis needed to begin to make sense of finance systems. We recommend using the guide online to make it easier to access various sources of information. School Size Small Works in Nebraska: How Poverty and the Size of School Systems Affect School Performance in Nebraska (January 2004) by Jerry Johnson As Nebraska considers a proposal to consolidate many of its small rural schools, a new study finds compelling evidence that academic achievement is higher in the state's smaller schools--particularly for students who live in poorer communities. The study by Jerry Johnson, policy analyst for the Rural School and Community Trust, explores the relationships among school size, poverty and student achievement in Nebraska and finds that smaller schools significantly reduce the power of poverty to affect student academic performance. Free Dollars and Sense: The Cost Effectiveness of Small Schools (September 2002) by Barbara Kent Lawrence et al. Dollars & Sense is a collaborative effort of the KnowledgeWorks Foundation, the Rural School and Community Trust, and Concordia, Inc. A team of nine researchers with expertise in education, architecture, and quantitative research challenge the common belief that big schools are cheaper to build and maintain than are small ones. Their conclusion: investing tax dollars in small schools makes good economic sense. Small Works: School Size, Poverty and Student Achievement (February 2000) based on research by Craig Howley and Robert Bickel A study of four states (Georgia, Montana, Ohio and Texas) suggests that smaller schools reduce the harmful effects of poverty on student achievement and help students from poorer communities narrow the achievement gap between them and students from wealthier communities. Free Small Schools, Big Results: Nebraska High School Completion and Postsecondary Enrollment Rates by Size of School District (September 1999) by Patricia E. Funk, Ph.D. and Jon Bailey for the Nebraska Alliance for Rural Education This research, funded in part by the Rural Trust, finds that small schools measure up very well against their big neighbors when the cost of schooling is measured as the cost per graduate. Events | Forum |Newsroom | Contact Us | Search © 2003 The Rural School and Community Trust 
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