Background: We examined whether there are differences in the presence of supports for student wellness promotion (1) between schools in city, suburban and rural locations and, (2) among rural schools, according to distance from a metropolitan center. Methods: The analysis was conducted in a sample of 309 secondary schools using 2012 Minnesota…

Seeking to understand the experiences of educators, families, and students in K-12 public schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wisconsin-Minnesota Comprehensive Center (WMCC)--working with the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)--has developed the Safe Learning Survey that is being conducted at three intervals: Winter (February), Spring…

Affordable, reliable access to high speed broadband is critical to U.S. economic growth and competitiveness. Upgrading to higher-speed broadband lets consumers use the Internet in new ways, increases the productivity of American individuals and businesses, and drives innovation throughout the digital ecosystem. As this report describes, while the…

Early educators often do not have even basic expectations of working conditions -- such as program policies providing for payment for planning time, staff meetings, and professional development; a salary schedule accounting for experience and varied levels of education; and provision of health, retirement, sick-, and vacation-leave benefits that…

Every two years, the Educator Licensing Division of the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is tasked with producing a report on the supply and demand of teachers. By statute, that report must contain data collected by surveying Minnesota public school districts, charter schools, and teacher preparation institutions. This report presents…

After more than ten years of asking rural Minnesotans about their access to high-speed Internet service, it is possible to draw a few conclusions: (1) It is fairly well accepted now that broadband access has become a necessity for functioning at full capacity in today's world; (2) The digital divide isn't what it used to be; (3) Broadband no…

This study examines the relationship between school district expenditures and district characteristics, including regional features (enrollment size, student population density, labor costs, and geographic remoteness) and level of student need (percentages of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, of special education students, and of…

In the ten years since the Center for Rural Policy and Development began its survey of broadband adoption in Minnesota, the growth of broadband use -- and its necessity -- has been nothing short of remarkable. Since 2001, its availability has spread steadily, and its adoption has risen accordingly statewide. Both private and public entities have…

Background: Medicare beneficiaries incur 27%-30% of lifetime charges in the last year of life; most charges occur in the last quarter. Factors associated with high end-of-life Medicare charges include less advanced age, non-white race, absence of advance directive, and urban residence. Methods: We analyzed Medicare hospital charges in the last…

The National Indian Education Study (NIES) is administered as part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which was expanded to allow more in-depth reporting on the achievement and experiences of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) students. It fulfills a mandate of Executive Order 13336 issued in 2004 calling for closer…

Context: Research has demonstrated substantial differences between end-of-life care in rural and urban settings. As the end of life approaches, rural elders are less likely to be hospitalized, to be placed in an intensive care unit, or to have a feeding tube, compared to their urban counterparts. These differences cannot be fully explained by…

Since 2001 the Center for Rural Policy & Development (CRPD) has annually conducted surveys of rural Minnesota households to discern the level of computer ownership, Internet connectivity and broadband adoption throughout rural Minnesota. Since the beginning of this longitudinal effort, significant increases in technology adoption have been…

The rising health and social services needs of the elderly can be met in part by using the potential productivity of older people. This study examined the extent to which older people serve as a resource and the potentiality for further expanding their productive contributions. The Minnesota Senior Study involved a telephone survey with a…

This report covers the first phase of a three-phase research program entitled "Developing Model NYC Programs for Rural Youth". The report contains three sections. The first section, "An Experimental Rural Youth Program for the North Central States" contains a detailed description of the general framework of a program for rural…

The project was conducted in cooperation with two Concentrated Employment Program agencies operating in Northern Minnesota, the Rural Minnesota CEP and the Duluth CEP. All persons relocated in this project were referred by the Rural Minnesota CEP and the Duluth CEP. The objectives of the project were: (1) to provide mobility services to the…