For decades longstanding educational equity has often been framed around race and ethnicity in urban settings. Yet, educators and legislators continue to focus on closing the opportunity gap for marginalized and disenfranchised students. Although rarely capturing the headlines, rural education is another area lacking educational equity.
 
When addressing student education equity, much of the focus has traditionally been on urban schools, partly to affect the most positive change for as many students as possible. However, while schools in urban and suburban settings may have larger student bodies, nearly one in five US public school students are enrolled in a “rural” school, totaling more than nine million students.

The Pandemic Laid Bare Many of the Inequities Plaguing Rural Schools

Equity is at the core of public education’s mission to ensure that all children have access to and receive a high-quality public education no matter where they reside.
Yet, all school districts didn’t have the same resources needed to accomplish that mission before the pandemic, which is not news to many people. However, COVID-19 has dramatically exposed the inequities and gaps often ignored and neglected for many children and school districts.

Challenges Facing Rural Schools

Rural schools encounter similar challenges found in urban schools and have unique challenges.

Poverty
Like urban school districts, many rural school districts are faced with the challenges of poverty. In 2020, nearly 30 percent of children under 18 in rural America lived in poverty, while almost 18 percent of urban children under 18 lived in poverty.

Funding Disparities
Student enrollment drives public school funding, so the fewer students enrolled in a district, the less funding a school receives. Especially in states where there are significant numbers of urban districts, urban students receive more than their rural peers.

Transportation Issues
School transportation must cover long distances in rural areas because rural residents are more spread out, which increases the budget rural schools have to allocate transporting their students. And, unlike their urban and suburban counterparts, students attending rural schools don’t have other public transportation options.

Teacher Shortages
The pay scale at rural schools can be significantly lower and transportation issues also play a role in attracting and retaining teachers and administrators. For young teachers, it can be difficult to establish roots. Due to the shortage, many rural school teachers are sometimes required to teach additional subjects beyond their area of expertise.

The Digital Divide
Perhaps no other aspect of rural schools’ challenges became more apparent during the pandemic than the lack of infrastructure to connect to the internet. Problems with connectivity, costs and budget constraints prevented many rural schools from receiving adequate instruction during the pandemic.

A  Federal Communications Commission report showed that 41 percent of rural schools lack access to the internet. Without Internet access, rural students lose out on a vast number of electronic resources.

Our services address the academic needs and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19. In addition, embedded training for teachers to address social-emotional needs is available. Connect with us to learn about our solutions for your district.