April 28, 2006 Share this page

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Since the last newsletter, there has been a flurry of activity at the Center for Rural Education (CRE or the Center) and across the department. As part of the Center' s commitment to meeting needs of educators, students, and families in rural America, CRE staff and I have been conducting "listening and dialogue sessions" with a wide range of key stakeholders — from teachers and students to Administration officials and members of Congress. Among the sessions, I had the pleasure of addressing the Rural Forum of the Council of Chief State School Officers in Phoenix, AZ, and CRE staff hosted a focus group with teachers from 13 states at the headquarters of the Appalachian Regional Commission in Washington, DC. CRE staff also met with key staff members of U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming) who chairs the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Through these sessions, CRE staff has been able to gather and share firsthand information on the challenges and advantages to education in rural areas across the nation. In turn, CRE staff has been able to provide rural educators with information on funding and resources available through the department — resources that are included in this newsletter. Finally, CRE staff has been able to gather information that is helping to shape and refine the Center' s work plan of activities and products for the upcoming year — a year that promises many resources and opportunities to assist the field in improving the educational outcomes for students in rural education.

In addition to the Center' s activities, the department has launched several initiatives of interest to rural educators.  In February 2006, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings released "Meeting the Challenge of a Changing World: Strengthening Education for the 21st Century," a report outlining the department's policy regarding the education components of the President's American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) and other math, science and critical language programs. This document calls for major innovations and improvements in our nation's schools which, according to Secretary Spellings, are vital in improving our economic and national security. The report and a fact sheet can be found at: http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/competitiveness/index.html. I encourage you to review this document and its implications for rural education.

In March 2006, Secretary Spellings announced a department-wide "Promising Practices" initiative. This initiative is designed to identify and disseminate research-based and proven instructional strategies for improving students' academic achievement and other important educational outcomes. In the coming months, the Center will be asking readers for help in the department' s effort to identify promising practices, making sure that we include practices that are working for our nation' s rural schools.

Finally, it is with mixed emotions that I share personnel news from the Center. On June 1, 2006, Dr. William Smith, director for the Center, is retiring after 40 years of federal service. Dr. Smith is one of the giants of American education, serving in more Department of Education senior appointments in our 25-year history than any single individual. Most notably, Dr. Smith was the 24th and last U.S. Commissioner of Education, and the only African-American to have this honor. A short biography of Dr. Smith appears at the end of this newsletter.

Even as Dr. Smith departs, we look forward to the coming months and to our continued efforts to dialogue with the field.  We look forward to developing, identifying, and disseminating products and services that will benefit educators, students, and parents in rural areas.  Mostly, we look forward to continuing our work together on the shared goal of ensuring that every child receives the quality education they need to prepare for a successful future.

Beto Gonzalez Acting
Assistant Secretary

In January 2006, the Secretary' s Rural Education Task Force convened its first quarterly meeting of the year.  Dr. Mark Schneider, Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), updated the task force on NCES' planned publication, "Status of Elementary and Secondary Education in Rural America."  This report will provide updated statistical information on student enrollments, teacher characteristics, and student achievement in rural schools.  Minutes from the meeting are posted at http://www.ed.gov/nclb/freedom/local/rural/index.html.

The next scheduled meeting of the task force is April 27, 2006. Among the agenda items will be a preview of a video clip from a January 20, 2006, focus group with 17 teachers from 13 states at the headquarters of the Appalachian Regional Commission in Washington, DC, and a discussion of an OVAE-planned publication "Condition of Education in Rural America." This report will be a companion to NCES document, providing information on such topics as policies and programs benefiting rural education, the effects of education reform on rural schools, and technology and distance learning in rural education, too mention only a few.  The task force also will hear a presentation by NCES staff on the new urban-centric local code classification system and its implications for departmental programs.  Further information on this new classification system is provided below.

Professional Development
Free Teacher Training Available Online

As part of the department' s Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative, a series of summer workshops have been held across the country for the past two years.  These workshops have been conducted by some of the nation' s leading teachers and education experts — individuals who use research-based practices and proven methods for increasing student achievement in their schools.

The department also has created "digital workshops" — a series of free online courses based on past Teacher-to-Teacher Workshops.  These courses provide on-demand professional development for teachers in specific content areas.  Depending on state and/or district policies, teachers may earn professional development credit for taking these digital courses.

For information on this summer' s workshops, please visit: http://www.ed.gov/teacherinitiative.

Urban-Centric Locale Codes

Perhaps the greatest challenge to the field of rural education is defining "what' s rural."  The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has revised its eight-category locale code classification system to incorporate changes in the Office of Management and Budget's definition of "rural." The resulting 12-category system continues to use the same standard geographic concepts found in the original eight locale codes, but now prioritizes an urban approach that combines both population size and distance from an urbanized area.

The new system has four basic groups — city, suburb, town, or rural — each of which is divided into three subcategories. Cities and suburbs are classified as large, midsize, or small on the basis of their population size. Towns and rural areas are described as being in the fringe, distant, or remote in relation to the closest urbanized area. Until the new locale codes are fully adopted at federal, state, and local levels, NCES' Common Core of Data (CCD) survey system will continue to publish both the traditional and new locale codes for public schools and local education agencies beginning with the 2003-04 school year and continuing through the 2006-07 school year.

To download, view and print the new local code and documentation files, please visit: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2006332

The Toolbox Revisited: Paths to Degree Completion From High School Through College

Completing academically challenging course work in high school dramatically increases the likelihood of a student earning a bachelor's degree, according to a new U.S. Department of Education study. The Toolbox Revisited: Paths to Degree Completion From High School Through College, found that the academic intensity of a high school curriculum is the strongest indicator of postsecondary degree completion, regardless of a student's major course of study.

The Toolbox Revisited studies the High School Class of 1992 as it moved from high school to higher education and includes comparisons to a previous report, Answers in the Tool Box, which followed the High School Class of 1982 from high school through college.  Both national longitudinal studies had similar findings.

The Toolbox Revisited may be downloaded at:  www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/toolboxrevisit/index.html.  The report also is available at no charge through ED Pubs at www.edpubs.ed.gov/webstore/Content/search.asp or by calling 1-877-4-EDPUBS or 1-877-576-7734 (TTY/TDD).

Rural Education Web Page

The National Center for Education Services (NCES) has updated its rural education Web page entitled, Navigating Resources for Rural Schools.  The updated Web page is part of NCES' ongoing efforts to provide current information about educational changes taking place in rural America, as well as the latest data collected by NCES and selected contractors and grantees of the department. 

To view this Web page, please go to: http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ruraled

Rural Education Assistance Program (REAP)

On March 13, the department issued a Federal Register Notice on the availability of funds for districts under the Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) and Rural and Low-Income Schools (RLIS) programs. Districts that meet the SRSA funding criteria and have never applied to the department are eligible to apply. RLIS grants will be awarded by mid-August and SRSA grant awards will be awarded by September 30.

For information on REAP grants, please go to: http://www.ed.gov/nclb/freedom/local/reap.html

Retirement of Dr. William Smith, Director of the CRE

On June 1, 2006, Dr. William Smith will retire after 40 years of federal service.  Dr. Smith' s story is an inspiring one.  He was raised in a Boston orphanage during the depression.  He graduated from Wiley College at 20 and then volunteered for the Army in the Korean War.  He became a decorated war hero, earning a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and Combat Infantry Badge.  He was a legendary teacher and principal in the Cleveland Public schools and then turned to federal public service.  He has held numerous positions in the U.S. Department of Education, serving as Deputy Under Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs, Deputy Commissioner for Special Education, plus senior appointments in Civil Rights, Management, Teacher Corps, and Urban/Rural Education.  He is a charter member of the Senior Executive Service and has been awarded three (3) Presidential Rank Awards by Presidents of both parties.  In his latest and final appointment, Dr. Smith was instrumental in launching the Center for Rural Education and helping to outline a broad vision and goals for serving students in rural America.

For information on OVAE' s celebration of Dr. Smith' s retirement, please contact us at the e-mail or telephone number provided below.

Please feel free to contact the Center at any time with any questions, suggestions, and comments via e-mail at RuralEd@ed.gov or via telephone at 202-245-7701.

The Center for Rural Education newsletter and web page may contain links to other Web sites, studies, and news articles. These links are intended to help readers access information for improving education in rural America. The opinions, analyses, conclusions, and policy recommendations of these external links do not necessarily represent the policies or positions of the U. S. Department of Education. Any reference to this information should not be construed as an endorsement of these opinions, analyses, conclusions, and policy recommendations by the U.S. Department of Education.