Federal Federal File

Relatively New

January 10, 2006 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

When Department of Education officials announced last month that they were starting a new Center for Rural Education, some observers were baffled.

It turns out that the center had been around a while.

Beto Gonzalez, the Education Department’s acting assistant secretary for vocational and adult education, announced the rural education center on Dec. 16 at a meeting of the Council of Chief State School Officers, held in Tucson, Ariz.

But rural education experts had known about the center and had met with its director, William L. Smith, at several gatherings over the previous six months.

The tardy announcement—punctuated by a press release sent to the national media—made some rural education advocates wonder whether the Education Department was just blowing smoke.

National groups such as the Arlington, Va.-based Rural School and Community Trust and the Norman, Okla.-based National Rural Education Association have criticized the federal department in the past for what they see as a lack of attention to rural issues. (“Federal Efforts Lacking, Rural Advocates Say,” Feb. 2, 2005.)

This time, federal officials say, the government means what it says.

Linda W. Hall, the deputy director of the rural center in the Education Department, blamed the late announcement on a major reorganization of the department’s structure last year. She and other federal officials were working hard to more fully understand rural education issues and to use that knowledge in making policy decisions, she said.

“We want to be able to present a voice to represent rural education in the department,” said Ms. Hall, who grew up in rural King and Queen County, Va.

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings is spearheading a renewed focus on rural education at the agency, Ms. Hall added.

The secretary has appointed Mr. Gonzalez to lead a rural education task force, which met for the first time in October. This month, the task force will begin work to help offices throughout the Education Department improve their attention to rural issues, said Ms. Hall, the task force’s executive director.

The rural education center is holding focus groups with educators from rural America to help produce a new Condition of Education in Rural Schools report by early 2007, among other work, Ms. Hall said. The report hasn’t been revised in more than a decade.

Related Tags:

Events

School Climate & Safety Webinar Engaging Every Student: How to Address Absenteeism and Build Belonging
Gain valuable insights and practical solutions to address absenteeism and build a more welcoming and supportive school environment.
Student Well-Being K-12 Essentials Forum Social-Emotional Learning 2025: Examining Priorities and Practices
Join this free virtual event to learn about SEL strategies, skills, and to hear from experts on the use and expansion of SEL programs.
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
Professional Development Webinar
Inside PLCs: Proven Strategies from K-12 Leaders
Join an expert panel to explore strategies for building collaborative PLCs, overcoming common challenges, and using data effectively.
Content provided by Otus

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 Trump Threatens Funds to Schools That Let Trans Athletes Compete on Girls' Teams
The sweeping order is a reversal from the Biden administration, and continues efforts from Trump to roll back protections for transgender youth and adults.
4 min read
President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women's or girls' sporting events, in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women's or girls' sporting events, in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Top House Lawmaker Supports Trump's Bid to 'Depower' Education Department
The House education committee chairman believes "even the best-meaning bureaucrat" can't understand what's happening in local schools.
5 min read
Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., speaks during an event at the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit on Dec. 9, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., speaks at the U.N. Climate Summit on Dec. 9, 2023, in Dubai. Walberg, the newly minted chair of the U.S. House's education and workforce committee, said at a Tuesday event that he wouldn't stand in the way of President Donald Trump's efforts to diminish or close the U.S. Department of Education.
Joshua A. Bickel/AP
Federal Title IX, School Choice, ‘Indoctrination’—How Trump Took on Schools in Week 2
It was a week in which the newly inaugurated president began wholeheartedly to act on his agenda for schools.
8 min read
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. Trump's second week in the White House featured his first direct foray into policymaking aimed directly at schools.
Evan Vucci/AP
Federal Then & Now Why Can't We Leave No Child Left Behind ... Behind?
The law and its contours are stuck in our collective memory. What does that say about how we understand K-12 policy?
6 min read
Collage image of former President G.W. Bush signing NCLB bill.
Liz Yap/Education Week and Canva