Missouri ranks above the middle on six of seven Importance indicators, but not in the top ten on any of them. Its 1.7 million rural people and the high percentage of students in small rural schools combine to make rural education very important. With low per capita rural income and rural teacher salaries that are 7th worst in the nation and lag far behind Missouri's non-rural teachers, conditions in the Show-Me State's rural schools warrant serious policy attention.
From Why Rural Matters 2003: The Continuing Need for Every State to Take Action on Rural Education, February 2003. Learn more about why rural matters in your state.
