Students in rural education deserve the same great opportunities as students in denser city centres and urban areas.
An article in The Atlantic calls a “divergence in fortunes” around higher education “coincided with another divergence – between growing cities and struggling rural regions.” This coincided with the rise of computers, which made certain people in the economy more productive and desirable than others. Whereas, prior to 1980, the supply of workers was a larger. In short, the rise of computers left a portion of the economy behind.
At EDClass we believe in education for all. This blog post takes a look at the support available to rural groups.
How to support rural education
Regardless of area codes, economic divides, or geographic isolation, teachers and leaders in small rural districts need to worker harder to give all our kids every advantage possible. This takes many forms, we must talk with our legislators so they stay abreast of a small school district’s needs, especially around staffing with secondary teachers saddled with teaching multiple subjects. One teacher has two different math classes, two sections of physics, and a Collection of Evidence class that helps students graduate who haven’t met standard on state assessments.
Jeanne Moulton, The World Bank adds:
Rural primary schools in low-income countries often suffer because they are remote from the central offices of the ministry of education, which distribute instructional resources, so their quality is poor. In addition, the national schooling model, developed in an urban context, is not so relevant to the rural setting, and rural families cannot afford the direct cost of schooling nor the opportunity cost of having their children away for many hours of the day in low-quality schools.
How the pandemic has affected rural delivery
The coronavirus pandemic has also has had an effect on rural education. Many schools have closed and remote learning for rural learners could be difficult due to lack of broadband access.
The National Rural Education Association (NREA), Allen Pratt had concerns.
With increases in Covid-19 cases in some rural areas, Pratt encouraged parents and community members to have patience and community members to have patience and understanding for what the school systems are trying to do. “This is the most difficult decision process that they have ever been through as leaders,” he said. Looking forward, Pratt said he doesn’t see education returning to pre-Covid-19 days but also anticipates innovative approaches to how children are educated, and broadband connectivity is vital for this to work.
EDClass can help
EDClass can help rural delivery of learning with a wide range of lessons suitable for students who are unable to attend school.
Our online learning carries 11,000 lessons, tailored learning pathways, access to teachers, live and recorded lessons, a sophisticated tracking system and a wide range of safeguarding features.
The platform has a proven track record at improving engagement in education. The system was originally designed in 2008 to support 30 young people at risk of permanent exclusion.
Read how our platform helped schools during lockdown here.
For more information call 01909 568 338.
