Often faced with significant poverty, limited resources and geographic isolation, many of America's rural schools struggle to prepare their students for the challenges of a modern economy, according to The Condition of Education in Rural Schools, released today by the U.S. Department of Education. While rural students are found in every state, the percentage of students attending rural schools ranges from 5 percent in Rhode Island to more than 76 percent in South Dakota. This report represents perhaps the most comprehensive look to date at these special schools and will be of particular value to policymakers and educators as they seek ways to bring high academic standards to all students. The study found considerable diversity among rural schools and rural economies.
Schools vary in size, services provided, courses offered and student population.
As with urban America, two-thirds of rural jobs are now in the service sector. Many teachers did not major in the subject they teach, and rural secondary teachers are asked to teach more subjects than their urban peers. Hampered by the high cost of education in areas with low population density, less experienced educators, poverty and limited job opportunities, rural schools face major difficulties preparing students for the workplace. By the 1980s, national surveys of students' skills and knowledge in virtually all subjects show that the scores of rural students now approximate the national average. Rural student performance exceeds that of urban students, but falls short of suburban students.