Education Policy & Practice

The NYTimes headline, “Alaska’s Rural Schools Fight Off Extinction” caught my eye yesterday and prompted this post.

For the amount of reading (literature, blogs, news, research studies, etc) I do in education, one would think that I’d have a comfortable grasp on the subject of rural education.  Not exactly true.  Rural education is a topic about which I admittedly have little substantive knowledge.  By contrast, the fascination with, obsession of, and dominance of urban education as a topic of conversation, research or policy will never cloy.

So where should we go to learn more about and keep abreast of issues in rural education?  The National Rural Education Association might be a good starting point, or you might visit Organizations Concerned about Rural Education.

You can also read about KIPP Gaston College Preparatory school, located in rural Gaston County, NC. Serving students and families in grade s5-12, KIPP GCP is one of the highest performing public schools in the state.  I am in love with KIPP, particularly KIPP Baltimore and the KIPP Ujima Village Academy family :-).

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!