Tailoring integrated student supports to rural contexts

Abstract

Rural poverty rises to higher levels than poverty in urban and suburban areas, and rural communities and their schools face greater isolation, which means that families must travel farther than their urban and suburban counterparts to access available services and learning opportunities. Elaine Weiss describes two rural communities, one in Arkansas and another in Kentucky, that provide models for how rural communities might create ways for students and families to access resources that otherwise would be out of reach. Grant funding allowed one district to open up additional spots in a local preschool, while a partner organization in another community converted school buses into preschool classrooms, so they could take learning directly to distant families. These districts also used technology to improve their STEM offerings, provide access to e-books that students could download on school-provided tablets at school and read at home without internet access, and put students in touch with medical care, mentors, and learning opportunities beyond their local community.

Keywords

schools rural poverty early childhood enrichment technology health

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