“Why don’t people who live there, teach there?” That question, posed by this recent Hechinger Report story, is a troubling reminder of the unique, persistent challenges that rural communities face in staffing schools. Like rural America itself, teacher shortages are often discussed but seldom understood. Shortages occur less frequently than the average observer may speculate, and when they do, it…
Tag: Rural Education
How 18 million Americans could move into rural areas – without leaving home
About 46 million Americans – 14% of the nation’s inhabitants – are currently classified as living in rural areas. That number could jump to 64 million – an increase of nearly 40% – without anyone moving into a new home. That could actually hurt small cities and rural communities across the country. The federal government classifies communities’ characteristics based on…
KentuckyWired may not spell the end of students’ connection woes
KentuckyWired was once considered an answered prayer for families across the Bluegrass, where broadband Internet access is among the worst in the nation. No one told us that prayer would turn out to be a Hail Mary. More than a third of Kentucky students lack adequate Internet access, a major reason why the KentuckyWired project was launched in 2015. The…
Equity Is Like Heaven; We All Want To Get There But Nobody Can Agree How
To know me is to know my aversion to all things buzzwordy. My rule of thumb for education is that if it can fit on a bumper sticker, it’s probably no silver bullet. That’s especially true for “equity,” the Mecca of seemingly every educator in 2019 with an active Twitter account. See, I love equity. I’m all for it, and if…
Drop The Judgment, Y’all – Rural Education Isn’t A Monolith
As someone who cares about the nuts and bolts of educational equity, it pains me that so many of those conversations are only focused around urban areas like Louisville and Lexington. That’s why I use my platform here to to argue for things like rural representation in teacher leadership and opportunity gaps in Applachia. Obviously, I was thrilled when I came…
What It’s Like to Attend School in Rural America
Hey y’all, here’s a piece from guest blogger Jennifer Wahl, who was also the 2018 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year. She may not teach in Kentucky, but her views here on rural education are something that some of of us here in the Bluegrass may relate to. -GS On a rainy day in May of 2018, I toured a public…