The Role of Higher Education in Rural Education.

Overview & Synopsis

Rural teachers face difficulties (lower salaries, inadequate facilities, isolated living, scant inservice training, and inadequate housing) not found in urban school districts, and most have not been prepared for rural life and teaching by their teacher education programs. Specialized training for rural teachers is practically non-existent; most teacher training programs prepare teachers for urban schools. Higher education institutions should understand the unique weaknesses inherent in many rural schools and communities. Teacher training programs should support rural teachers with adequate preservice education and continuing inservice education throughout the teacher's careers. Teacher education programs should provide a rural education specialty and should establish relationships with rural schools, so student teachers can be trained in rural school districts. The programs should also support the development of curriculum materials that enhance the picture of rural life. Institutions of higher education can apply these ideas inexpensively by supporting state rural education associations, encouraging frequent college-rural meetings, holding workshops and conferences for rural educators only, supporting teacher exchanges, offering advanced degree programs to rural educators, encouraging students who want to student teach in rural communities, permitting students to teach experimental minicourses in rural schools, and providing lists of prospective rural teachers to superintendents in small communities. (SB)