McRel Rural E-News, No. 42, April 2005

1. Rural teacher talks town into roping wind power instead of cutting school staff Denver Post
Jay Clapper is about to see his passion and persistence pay off. On a hill overlooking Wray, Colo., an Eastern Plains farm town just 13 miles from the point where Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska meet, a huge crane will soon erect a wind turbine big enough to supply a quarter of the town's electrical needs and provide $180,000 a year in new revenue to the cash-strapped school district.

2. Rural schools access college online Demopolis (Ala.) Times
There's a big obstacle for ambitious students in Greene and Hale counties who want to get a jump on their college credit: there's no nearby college to go to. But now, the college is about to come to them. It's arriving in the form of Stillman Academy, a unique new program developed by Tuscaloosa's Stillman College. The Academy will allow students in Greene and Hale counties to take an intense six-week battery of college courses via the Internet. In addition to freshman-level mathematics and English courses, the program will offer tutorials on applying for financial aid and taking the ACT, a college entrance exam.

3. Report: Rural schools need teacher incentives Billings (Mont.) Gazette
Montana's isolated and American Indian school districts have the hardest time recruiting teachers, and the state should develop incentive programs that entice educators to those areas, a new report shows. Curt Nichols, former assistant state budget director, prepared the report on teacher recruitment and retention for the Montana Taxpayers Association. Nichols' report contradicts the argument made by the education lobby that the state should raise the base pay of all teachers in order to help rural and Indian districts recruit teachers.

4. Rural kids get science help: College students lead lessons Corvalis (Ore.) Gazette-Times
Oregon State University's Rural Science Education Program sends graduate and undergraduate OSU students in life and agricultural sciences into rural schools to help kids explore their natural surroundings. The program is funded by a three-year, $1.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation. OSU chooses six undergraduate and six graduate students each year for the competitive fellowships.

5. Planting seeds of survival: Rural America battles an exodus Denver Post
Towns like Chugwater, Wyo. can be found in every corner of rural America, from the North Dakota prairie to the West Texas Panhandle. They are faced with a stark choice: Find ways to attract new blood or blow away like the tumbleweeds bouncing along the plains. So the town leaders of Chugwater � population 244 � have come up with a plan. Beginning next month, the town will grant any newcomer a city lot 100 feet by 120 feet for $100. In return, applicants must agree to build a house and live in Chugwater for two years.

6. Study supports consolidation: No ties seen in school size, success Bangor (Maine) News
A recent study conducted by the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center at the University of Maine has determined that the size of Maine's school districts plays a marginal role in student achievement and that dramatic cost savings could be realized by school consolidation. The study found there is no correlation between the size of a school district and how well it does academically, based on student test scores, the number of graduates who attend college and the number of dropouts. The report also found that �huge potential cost savings� could be achieved by consolidation, especially of administrative duties.

7. Leading Learning for the Future
Join McREL in Westminster, Colo., on September 22�24, 2005 to learn from leading-edge research and innovation how to lead successful learning today and anticipate what the future may hold for learning tomorrow. Presenters include Richard DeLorenzo, Superintendent of Chugach School District in rural Alaska, which employs place-based curricula and individualized learning plans for every student. Other presenters include Cheryl Brown Henderson, President of the Brown Foundation and Roger Staubach, Hall of Fame Quarterback and CEO of The Staubach Company. McREL will also present a breakout strand based on the results of our groundbreaking study on effective principals, titled Balanced Leadership. Visit www.mcrel.org/conference to learn more.

9. Come to Montana for a McREL school leadership development workshop
Learn from McREL�s ground-breaking research on school leadership how to become a more effective school leader during a five-day academy hosted by Montana State University-Bozeman. The academy, held on June 20�24 at the Big Sky Resort in Big Sky, Mont. is open to principals from Montana and other states. A $650 registration fee covers lodging, most meals, breaks, and materials. Contact Boyd Dressler (406-994-1819) for more information.

10. McREL�s Online Learning Communities
McREL�s Online Learning Communities offer rural schools and districts a unique and cost-effective way to create professional learning communities focused on improving student achievement. McREL provides participating districts with tailored, ongoing professional development based on our popular manual, Classroom Instruction that Works. To learn more, contact Howard Pitler (303.632.5554, hpitler@mcrel.org).

11. Best Fiscal Management Practices for Rural Schools
A new report from the Rural School and Community Trust highlights some of the leading policy issues faced by education stakeholders and presents rural-specific strategies to ensure both sound fiscal management practices and a high-quality education for all students. To complement the report, the Rural Trust is offering a workshop that can be tailored to both meet the needs of various constituencies and be responsive to context and need.

12. Crafting a Competitive Future - Capitalizing on Rural America
A new study prepared by SRI International for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines concludes that in both rural America and Washington, D.C., the focus is generally on problems rather than solutions. The study observes that on the whole, rural America has several assets on which to build, including steadily improving education achievement. It also notes that rural America is moving toward a more diverse economy, yet the bulk of federal support for rural areas remains primarily in direct subsidies to agriculture.

13. A Look at the Condition of Rural Education Research
The Journal of Research in Rural Education has published a McREL report titled, "A Look at the Condition of Rural Education Research: Setting a Direction for Future Research.� McREL researchers examined K�12 rural education research studies conducted from 1991�2003 to identify topics that appear in the rural education research literature and determine the quality of this research. They conclude that only 21 percent of studies in this database met the requirement of employing a �comparative� research design to investigate a rural education problem and none were truly experimental studies. Of the 106 articles that used some kind of comparative research design, only 10 were rated as higher-quality research, and only 48 were considered to be of medium quality.

RESOURCES & INFORMATION

14. $8.9 million in broadband grant funds available
Agriculture Acting Under Secretary for Rural Development Gilbert Gonzalez today announced $8.9 million in broadband grant funds are available for connecting essential community facilities to high-speed telecommunications in rural towns and communities where no broadband service exists. To date, 90 communities have participated in the program to connect essential services, such as schools, to broadband service. Grant winners must make at least 10 computers available to the public with set hours. Deadline: May 29, 2005. More information is available at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov.

15. Fund for Teachers
Fund for Teachers provides funds (up to $5,000) for direct grants to teachers to support summer learning opportunities of their own design. Teachers who work with students from pre-K through 12th grade, with a minimum of three years teaching experience, full time, spending at least 50 percent of the time in the classroom at the time grants are approved and made are eligible to apply. Deadline: varies by state.

16. Technology Grants for Rural Schools
The Foundation for Rural Education and Development (FRED), a charitable foundation affiliated with the Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies (OPASTCO), sponsors Technology Grants for Rural Schools program to help meet the growing need for innovative technology in the classroom. The grants strive to help public schools in rural areas served by OPASTCO members bring modern computers to every classroom, connect schools to the information superhighway and make sure that effective and engaging software and online resources are an integral part of the school curriculum. Deadline: September 13, 2005.