There are several indicators (e.g. lower enrollment rates and lower persistence rates) that rural people are achieving less postsecondary success compared to their urban peers. This is particularly true for people with low socioeconomic statuses and people of color. This article, therefore, utilizes critical race theory in education as a framework…

Education is closely linked with economic outcomes. This report highlights key trends in educational attainment among rural Americans and the relationship between educational attainment and economic prosperity for rural people and places. Rural Americans are increasingly educated, but gains in educational attainment vary across demographic groups.…

Growing up poor in isolated rural areas and small towns is qualitatively different from growing up poor in the city. Yet most of what experts know about the effects of poverty on children's development comes from studies conducted in big cities. Now, an ambitious project run by universities in Pennsylvania and North Carolina is putting what some…

This essay considers the intellectual engagement of rural people in the context of their schooling. It argues that rural schooling shares the miseducative purposes common to American schooling in general (i.e., purposes associated with sustaining American global economic dominion). It frames rurally appropriate education as an on-the-ground…

Discusses the problems and impact of national trends on small towns and how small towns in eastern Washington have adapted to social and economic change. Illustrates how small towns try to address contemporary concerns such as computerization, the environment, and the expanding needs of their communities while continuing to hold on to their…

Responses from 27 State offices on aging revealed 8 recurring problems of rural and small-town elderly: a need for a uniform legislative definition of rural; the need for a complete rural strategy to reverse discrimination against rural and small-city elderly; a need to streamline Federal regulations; the need for changes in the Older Americans…

This document examines population trends and economic and social indicators in rural Idaho. The first few sections discuss the definition of "rural," rural challenges and strengths, and outside economic and political forces impacting Idaho's rural areas. Subsequent sections present data on population trends, migration patterns, race and…

Graphs, data tables, maps, and written descriptions give a statistical overview of rural Pennsylvania. A section on rural demographics covers population changes, racial and ethnic makeup, age cohorts, and families and income. Pennsylvania's rural population, the nation's largest, has increased more than its urban population since 1950, with the…

Discusses semantic complexities rampant in attempts to define rurality. Examines environmental and economic aspects of rurality and impacts on education. Proposes a definition of rurality based on five human considerations: approximate geographic divisions, level of access to community services, industry type, population makeup, and the…

Creating a relevant, integrated multicultural education university program in a sparsely populated, rural, mountainous state whose minority residents constitute barely five percent of the population poses unique challenges not possible in more urban areas. This case study describes the attempts of one faculty to ensure that preservice teachers…

Changes in social and economic characteristics of metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area residents from 1970-80 are documented and compared with characteristics of the 1960s. Rural growth and change and rural-urban differences are emphasized in data on population, family, education, labor force, employment, income, poverty, and housing. All basic…

The National Center for Rural Early Childhood Learning Initiatives at Mississippi State University, known as Rural Early Childhood, commissioned the nonpartisan research organization Child Trends to conduct such an analysis of the ECLS-K and ECLS-B baseline data, focusing on selected indicators related to child and family health and socioeconomic…

Data from the 1981 Census of Canada were used to gain an overview of the demographic and social characteristics of the aboriginal populations in Alberta and to compare the situations of aboriginal and non-aboriginal peoples with regard to age and geographical distribution, educational attainment, labor force activity, and income. Census figures…

Information derived from the Federal Information Exchange System on Federal outlays in rural America (160 Federal programs) provides the basis for this initial annual report. Information is reported via narrative and tabular data and relates only to Federal assistance. Highlighting some of the recent rural socioeconomic trends, the narrative…

Although there was expectation that the current recession would bring a new wave of Appalachian Kentuckians back to their homeland hills, as had previous recessions, no great "return to the hills" (or even to other areas of the state) has materialized. Unemployment insurance claims by people formerly employed in other states have not…