Richard Sellers

Professor Seminario
English 2010
3/3/2014
Rural Education Report
Rural schools can have some disadvantages such as difficulty hiring good teachers, lack
of opportunities, and lack of extended education. In some places over the state of Utah some
students are allowed to participate in programs which allow them to earn college credits before
they graduate from high school. These concurrent programs help students to prepare for
further education and the world ahead of them. These college courses also help students to
develop better work ethics.
Utahs rural schools face significant educational
challenges. They have greater difficulties than nonrural
schools in hiring teachers, finding teachers with
specialties, and finding teachers who teach multiple
subjects. Rural schools also come up short in offering
the wide array of courses that non-rural schools offer.
Yet when we look at rural educational outcomes, we see
paradoxes. In the core subjects that the state tests on
an annual basis, rural students tend to perform better
than non-rural students. Rural students also graduate
at a higher rate
-Utah Foundation
Although rural schools face many more challenges than urban schools, rural schools are
able to use what theyve received to allow more opportunities for the students in rural areas. It
is harder to hire teachers in a rural area because rural schools are not able to pay as much as
urban schools and usually teaching in rural areas is definitely harder. For example teachers in
rural schools may have to teach four or five subjects and teach five out of the six hours of the
school day besides finding time to correct assignments whereas teachers in urban schools may
have only one subject to teach and may not have to teach as many hours as well.
In many rural areas across the state there are few mandatory classes which are usually
taken during the junior and senior years. Senior and junior high school students are highly
likely to participate in classes which they have previously completed not because they have to,
but because there are no other classes to take which will expand their learning. This is where
the concurrent learning comes in. Concurrent classes are available to some students in rural
schools through colleges across the state. These concurrent classes allow students to take
college level classes and be able to earn college credit for them as well. This is one solution to
many of the problems that rural education now faces. It provides more opportunities for the
students to grow their education and expand their learning. We need more programs like
these in the state to benefit rural areas.

Works Cited
Jimerson, Lorna. "Breaking the Fall: Cushioning the Impact of Rural Declining
Enrollment." Breaking the Fall: Cushioning the Impact of Rural Declining Enrollment:
Rural School & Community Trust. N.p., 28 Feb. 2006. Web. 05 Feb. 2014.
<http://www.ruraledu.org/articles.php?id=2035>.
Lewis, Morgan V., and Laura Overman. "Dual and Concurrent Enrollment and Transition to
Postsecondary Education." Career and Technical Education Research (2008): n.
pag. Ebisco. Web. 5 Feb. 2014.
" Reaching for Educational Equity: An Evaluation of Utah's Rural Schools | Utah Foundation
Research." Utah Foundation Research RSS. Utah Foundation, 2009. Web. 22 Jan. 2014.
<http://www.utahfoundation.org/reports/?p=1004>.
"Rural Education." Edweek.org. Education Week, 15 June 2011. Web. 4 Feb. 2014.
<http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/rural-education/>.
Smarick, Andy. "Commentary." The Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Flypaper.com, 21 Nov. 2013.
Web. 05 Feb. 2014. <http://www.edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-
daily/flypaper/america%25E2%2580%2599s-rural-schools-and-communities>.