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In 2002-2003, 27% (12.5 million) of public school students attended school in communities of fewer than 25,000 and 19% (8.8 million) attended school in smaller communities of fewer than 2,500. In this report, the authors focus on the schools in those smaller communities, the most rural schools in America. They frame the report around 22 statistical indicators grouped into four gauges measuring: (1) the relative importance of rural education; (2) the level of poverty in rural schools; (3) other socio-economic challenges faced by rural schools; and (4) the policy outcomes achieved in rural education. A combination of the four gauge rankings gives an overall ranking, the Rural Education Priority Gauge. The top quartile on this gauge includes states in quintessentially rural regions of the country: the Mid-South Delta (Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and Arkansas), the Southeast (South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina), the Southwest (New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Arizona), and Central Appalachia (Kentucky and West Virginia). No state scores in the highest quartile on all four gauges, but six score in the highest quartile on three of the gauges (New Mexico, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Arizona, and Oklahoma). The lowest ranking states on the Rural Education Priority Gauge are urban states in the East and in the Great Lakes Region. These and other findings are discussed in detail in this report. (Contains 9 tables, 27 figures, and 2 notes.)

Stressed by high poverty levels, a low tax base and low teacher salaries, the East Feliciana School District competes, most often unsuccessfully, with neighboring districts and states, and with a relatively segregated white academy system for qualified teachers and pupil resources. Consequently, at the dawn of the federal government's landmark education reform initiative, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, 55.8% percent of the district's K-8 teachers were not fully certified to teach and 80% of its students were performing below average in at least one core subject. At the same time, only 31.8% of the parish's adult population had completed high school and fewer than 5% were college graduates. With a median household income of $26,864, 26% of the parish's children were living below the poverty level. This paper describes the implementation and results of a reform effort, undertaken in the late 1990s, that focused on place-based science and mathematics education. Standardized test scores have improved, and parish schools are now developing lasting school-community partnerships. The district is connecting its residents, including students, with natural resources located in East Feliciana and the surrounding communities by collaborating with educators, parents, community members, clergy, businesses, and nonprofits. (Contains 6 figures and 6 tables.)

East Feliciana Parish (Louisiana) has raised achievement scores by involving students in hands-on projects related to community needs and resources. Project Connect, a hands-on science and math program begun by the Delta Rural Systemic Initiative, has expanded into a comprehensive place-based program. In response to new state standards, teams of teachers visited place-based education programs elsewhere in the country, seeking advice and ideas from rural educators coping with comparable challenges: low-income populations, struggling local economies, shortages of certified teachers, large proportion of at-risk students, and few local career opportunities for high school graduates. Although 80 percent of district students are African American, the teachers found much to share with teachers working in White, Northern, rural schools. The Louisiana teachers saw examples of student-designed economic development projects and learned the skills of nature study and journaling. Project Connect has also organized 10-day teacher workshops that present skills and concepts of outdoor fieldwork and methods of designing place-based projects aligned with Louisiana's academic standards. Community and Americorps volunteers built nature trails near three schools, providing access to creeks where students monitor water quality and explore the natural environment. The benefits of outdoor hands-on learning are discussed. (SV)

In March 2002, 20 principals, superintendents, and instructional supervisors from the Delta and Black Belt regions of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi met in a Rural School Leaders Working Group. They discussed issues, challenges, and opportunities for school leadership from their perspectives as experienced leaders in what are arguably the most difficult places in the country to operate a school. This report summarizes their discussions on issues and concerned related to improving student learning. Participants reflected on the history of education in the South, from desegregation to the current emphasis on the racial achievement gap; examined common assumptions about the role of professional development and instructional leadership in school improvement; defined and described "excellence" and what it means for school leadership; and identified six key impediments to educational excellence. These factors are shortages of certified teachers and administrators, lack of parent and community involvement, relevance of professional development to instructional delivery and student learning, lack of attention to preparing students for a global society, low expectations for student achievement, and resistance to change. Participants listed critical topics for school leaders' training and development. Strategies for rural school improvement in the South are recommended. Statistical profiles of student race, eligibility for free lunch, and teacher shortages in the four states are included. (SV)