Study Urges Regional Focus on Rural Schools

State and federal programs aimed at helping underprivileged students often miss their mark in high-poverty, rural schools, in part because of inaccurate stereotypes, according to a report on rural schools released last week by a national research and advocacy group.

The report , by the Rural School and Community Trust , an Arlington, Va.-based nonprofit organization, also finds that a regional approach—instead of a statewide approach—might be the best way to make improvements in high-poverty, rural school districts.

Nearly 10 million students in the United States attend school in a rural district, or about 19 percent of the nation’s total public school enrollment, according to the...