Federal News in Brief

‘Insiders’ Say Federal Policy Poor Fit for Rural Schools

December 11, 2013 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

More than three-fourths of a group of education leaders say federal policies were designed primarily for urban and suburban districts and often are poorly suited to rural ones.

That’s one of the results in last month’s “Education Insider,” a monthly report by the policy-oriented consulting group Whiteboard Advisors.

Most respondents didn’t think rural education was a priority for the U.S. Department of Education. It scored 4 on a 1-to-10 scale. The Individuals with Disabilities Act was deemed the most burdensome of federal policies for rural districts, and providing more funding flexibility came out on top of the actions the government could take to improve education for rural students.

A version of this article appeared in the December 11, 2013 edition of Education Week as ‘Insiders’ Say Federal Policy Poor Fit for Rural Schools

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
Teaching Webinar
Maximize Your MTSS to Drive Literacy Success
Learn how districts are strengthening MTSS to accelerate literacy growth and help every student reach grade-level reading success.
Content provided by Ignite Reading
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar How High Schools Can Prepare Students for College and Career
Explore how schools are reimagining high school with hands-on learning that prepares students for both college and career success.
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
School Climate & Safety Webinar
GoGuardian and Google: Proactive AI Safety in Schools
Learn how to safely adopt innovative AI tools while maintaining support for student well-being. 
Content provided by GoGuardian

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

Federal Ed. Dept. Layoffs Are Reversed, But Staff Fear Things Won't Return to Normal
The bill ending the shutdown reverses the early October layoffs of thousands of federal workers.
4 min read
Miniature American flags flutter in wind gusts across the National Mall near the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Nov. 10, 2025.
Miniature American flags flutter in wind gusts across the National Mall near the Capitol in Washington on Nov. 10, 2025. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a bill reopening the federal government after a 43-day shutdown.
J. Scott Applewhite
Federal Opinion Can School Reform Be Bipartisan Again?
In a world dominated by social media, is there room for a more serious education debate?
8 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Federal Judge Tells Ed. Dept. to Remove Language Blaming Democrats From Staff Emails
The agency added language blaming "Democrat Senators" for the federal shutdown to staffers' out-of-office messages
3 min read
Screenshot of a portion of a response email blaming Democrat Senators for the government shutdown.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty
Federal Trump’s Ed. Dept. Slashed Civil Rights Enforcement. How States Are Responding
Could a shift in civil rights enforcement be the next example of "returning education to the states?"
6 min read
Pennsylvania Sen. Lindsey Williams, D-Allegheny, is pictured during a confirmation hearing for acting
Pennsylvania state Sen. Lindsey Williams, a Democrat, is pictured during an education committee hearing on Aug. 12, 2025. Williams is preparing legislation that would create a state-level office of civil rights to investigate potential civil rights violations in schools. Williams is introducing the measure in response to the U.S. Department of Education's slashing of its own office for civil rights.
Courtesy of Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus