Tag: rural communities

The number of people graduating from teacher education programs (TEPs) in the United States has fallen sharply in the past decade, and the trend appears likely to continue. The decline in people preparing to teach comes at a time when many school districts are already struggling to hire a certified teacher for every classroom. Furthermore,

Residents in rural communities live lives that can be significantly different from their urban and suburban counterparts (McDonough, Gildersleeve, & Jarksy, 2010).  Low population density results in a sense of geographic isolation that impacts many facets of rural life, from availability of basic utilities to the quality of schools and access to higher education.  Often

  “On average, in the twenty-first century, rural communities differ more from each other than they do from urban areas” (Flora & Flora 2008, 6).  For decades education researchers have studied how geographic location, and more specifically population size and density, influence a variety of educational indicators including student performance, school governance, and postsecondary access.