Education

Rural Education

January 28, 2004 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Small Schools Stifled?

About half the 50 states have laws that discourage small schools from opening or surviving, a report from the Rural School and Community Trust says.

The report, “Land for Granted: The Effects of Acreage Policies on Rural Schools and Communities,” is available online from the Rural School and Community Trust (Requires Adobe’s Acrobat Reader.)

Barbara Kent Lawrence, a Massachusetts-based researcher, writes in the report that minimum-acreage requirements for school construction in 24 states keep schools large, even as research suggests smaller schools may help children learn better.

Such rules promote larger schools and encourage the consolidation of schools and districts, Ms. Lawrence contends. The land policies also push new schools outside of town centers, she argues, and thus promote suburban sprawl and hurt local economies and culture.

In addition, states strip local communities of the power to make decisions about where schools should be built, their size and location, and other factors that might lead to smaller schools, she writes.

But the tide against rural and small schools, at least in the researcher’s view, may be changing. Since Ms. Lawrence began studying school size and facilities in the late 1990s, she’s seen tremendous change in debate on the topic.

“The argument at first was that small schools are terrible,” said Ms. Lawrence, who teaches sociology at Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass. “Then the argument got to be, ‘We know small schools make sense, but we can’t afford them.’”

Now, more states are considering laws that would encourage small schools, renovations of historic schools, and creative school locations that preserve rural areas and revive urban sites, she says.

In the report, she urges states to eliminate minimum- acreage rules, and to conserve land and partner with organizations to share parking lots and athletic fields with schools.

Ms. Lawrence also has written a book on school size that will come out in late February. Titled The Hermit Crab Solution: Creative Alternatives for Improving Rural School Facilities and Keeping Them Close to Home, it will be published by AEL, a regional education laboratory in Charleston, W. Va.

The author gives examples from her book that could help districts when state law is not on their side: A town in Vermont resisted school consolidation with a neighboring town, and chose instead to place classrooms in the same building with a town hall and library.

Alan Richard

A version of this article appeared in the January 28, 2004 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
The Future of the Science of Reading
Join us for a discussion on the future of the Science of Reading and how to support every student’s path to literacy.
Content provided by HMH
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
From Classrooms to Careers: How Schools and Districts Can Prepare Students for a Changing Workforce
Real careers start in school. Learn how Alton High built student-centered, job-aligned pathways.
Content provided by TNTP
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Follow Education Week’s K-12 Coverage on Bluesky
Education Week has joined the social media platform Bluesky.
1 min read
Illustration of Education Week and Bluesky logos.
F. Sheehan/Education Week
Education Quiz Who Qualifies to Receive the First-ever Federal School Voucher? Take the Quiz to Find Out
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz Trump’s Surprise Freeze on School Funding—How Much Do You Know?
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz What Lowers Teacher Turnover? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read