Study Examines Differences between High and Low Achieving Rural High Schools
With a global knowledge-based economy and new emerging drivers to rural economies, high-achieving rural schools are an absolute necessity. Yet there exists little research on how to develop such schools, particularly in economically and demographically challenged rural communities.
Answering what factors are needed to create high-achieving rural schools is The Qualities That Differentiate High-Achieving and Low-Achieving High-Poverty Rural High Schools by Dr. Perri Applegate of the University of Oklahoma.
A stable, dedicated staff is the primary need. A staff based on collaboration, shared vision, and a sense of community is, according to the study, the prime difference between high-achieving and low-achieving rural schools. A companion finding is the need for high-achieving schools to have democratic leadership that develops such a staff while including the community in school decision-making.
Leadership in high-achieving rural schools also does more to access resources to build opportunities for teachers and students and build a curriculum broad enough to serve all students (a measure of equity, also an important factor in high-achieving schools). These factors result in a “democratic learning community” where rural schools and communities serve each other and share responsibility for creating strong communities.
Interestingly, the study also found these leadership skills resulted in high-achieving schools having a more place-based or locally relevant education in all academic areas, which resulted in students more likely to remain in or return to their communities.
These findings suggest that rural schools, rural communities, and states develop ways to create stable school staff, establish resources that build broad-based educational opportunities in rural schools, and promote creative educational and governance mechanisms that provide such opportunities for all rural students.
The study also found that expectations are crucial to high-achieving rural schools, both within the school and the community. Caring for students is not enough to ensure success; schools and communities must expect and demand excellence and provide the resources and support to make it happen.
A complimentary finding was that high-achieving schools had a “no excuses” attitude. Rural schools (and rural communities) can produce an endless list of excuses and barriers that may explain in some measure their position or status. The study found that, ultimately, excuses do not improve achievement and do not help students. High-achieving schools developed plans to address problems and barriers; low-achieving schools only cite the problems. Eventually, this attitude extends through the school leadership and staff to the students.
Not surprisingly, many of the factors cited as necessary to build high-achieving rural schools are similar to those necessary to build high-achieving rural communities. We have written about the need for communities to have strong, inclusive leadership, to access and use resources for the community good, and to exhibit a “can do” attitude. As this study shows, together rural communities and schools can build these skills, create these factors, and produce great achievements.
Contact: Jon Bailey, jonb@cfra.org or 402.687.2103 x 1013 for more information.
Answering what factors are needed to create high-achieving rural schools is The Qualities That Differentiate High-Achieving and Low-Achieving High-Poverty Rural High Schools by Dr. Perri Applegate of the University of Oklahoma.
A stable, dedicated staff is the primary need. A staff based on collaboration, shared vision, and a sense of community is, according to the study, the prime difference between high-achieving and low-achieving rural schools. A companion finding is the need for high-achieving schools to have democratic leadership that develops such a staff while including the community in school decision-making.
Leadership in high-achieving rural schools also does more to access resources to build opportunities for teachers and students and build a curriculum broad enough to serve all students (a measure of equity, also an important factor in high-achieving schools). These factors result in a “democratic learning community” where rural schools and communities serve each other and share responsibility for creating strong communities.
Interestingly, the study also found these leadership skills resulted in high-achieving schools having a more place-based or locally relevant education in all academic areas, which resulted in students more likely to remain in or return to their communities.
These findings suggest that rural schools, rural communities, and states develop ways to create stable school staff, establish resources that build broad-based educational opportunities in rural schools, and promote creative educational and governance mechanisms that provide such opportunities for all rural students.
The study also found that expectations are crucial to high-achieving rural schools, both within the school and the community. Caring for students is not enough to ensure success; schools and communities must expect and demand excellence and provide the resources and support to make it happen.
A complimentary finding was that high-achieving schools had a “no excuses” attitude. Rural schools (and rural communities) can produce an endless list of excuses and barriers that may explain in some measure their position or status. The study found that, ultimately, excuses do not improve achievement and do not help students. High-achieving schools developed plans to address problems and barriers; low-achieving schools only cite the problems. Eventually, this attitude extends through the school leadership and staff to the students.
Not surprisingly, many of the factors cited as necessary to build high-achieving rural schools are similar to those necessary to build high-achieving rural communities. We have written about the need for communities to have strong, inclusive leadership, to access and use resources for the community good, and to exhibit a “can do” attitude. As this study shows, together rural communities and schools can build these skills, create these factors, and produce great achievements.
Contact: Jon Bailey, jonb@cfra.org or 402.687.2103 x 1013 for more information.
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Little Research on Community Schools
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