U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
In conversations about education reform, many reporters and education leaders cite schools in well-known U.S. cities as examples of places that require academic improvement and assistance. But it’s not only the places we can easily point out on a map that need help making sure their students graduate. Rural America requires assistance as well.
Last Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan attended the second-annual Summit on the Role of Education in Economic Development in Rural America in Arlington, Va. At the event, he spoke about his education agenda and outlined three major challenges for improving education in rural areas: poverty and its effect on learning, recruiting and retaining quality teachers, and the lack of Internet access.
“As the rural community goes, so goes our nation,” Duncan said.
Students living in remote areas face unique and difficult challenges when it comes to applying to colleges. While a student in an urban area can research potential colleges or financial aid online in their school’s library, many schools in rural locations still lack Internet access. Living far from large towns and cities often inhibits students from visiting schools to see if a particular campus is right for them. And rural schools have a hard time retaining teachers, who are often called upon for college letters of recommendation.
According to the latest U.S. Census figures, the highest poverty rates in America were in rural locations. Almost 18 percent of people subsiding in these areas live below the poverty line. So not only do students in rural America have to contend with transient teachers, a lack of Internet, and living far away from colleges and universities, they must also contend with trying to find a way to pay for a post-secondary education.
According to Duncan, rural areas lag behind the rest of the nation in post-secondary enrollment rates. Communities In Schools operates in these areas to help students through the college application process. Our site coordinators take students on campus tours, help them apply for scholarships and financial aid, and even help them study for the SATs and ACTs.
No one should be denied the right to an education simply because of where they live. Communities In Schools makes sure that all students have an equal opportunity to succeed.
