Why We Should Invest in Rural Community Organizing for Education Reform

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The Rural School and Community Trust report, Why Rural Matters 2009, notes that 19% of the nation’s public school students — over 9 million students — are enrolled in rural districts (Johnson and Strange, 2009). While rural school districts tend to receive less attention than their urban counterparts, a number of indicators point to the importance of addressing rural education issues. The college enrollment rate for rural 18-24 year olds is 27%, lower than the rate in any other locale; 23% of rural youth living in poverty drop out, a higher percentage than impoverished student in cities, towns or suburbs; and though rural students typically perform better than urban students on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, they still lag behind suburban students (Provasnik et al., 2007).

Are there any lessons from the urban educational reform experience that if effectively applied, could positively impact the educational outcomes of students in rural settings? A growing body of research from the Annenberg Institute and others has demonstrated the power of effective community organizing to generate innovative reforms, improve student learning, and to more equitably distribute resources. However, comparatively little study has been done on education organizing and engagement in rural communities, which have both challenges and assets that can differ significantly from the urban context.

Urban environments tend to have several characteristics that can promote the relationship building that is at the heart of community organizing, and which can help position a sizeable, organized group as a powerful force for change. Typically, the urban context is one in which large numbers of diverse people live in close geographic proximity, and the landscape is populated with other like-minded social service, advocacy, or non-profit organizations. In contrast, rural communities are characterized by a smaller population that is spread over a large area, and often lack racial and ethnic diversity. Potential partner organizations seem scarce, and there may also be divisions that run along economic or town lines.

One organization that has overcome these challenges while also benefiting from the unique assets of rural communities, such as close family connections and a strong place-based sense of identity, is Southern Echo, which has worked in the Mississippi Delta for over 20 years. With a mission to empower the African-American community through an intergenerational community organizing model that prioritizes training, education, and grassroots leadership development, Echo has impacted the formation and implementation of several key state-level policies, including full funding of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program.

In a recent case study, Mara Tieken and Kenneth Russell describe some of Echo’s key strategies for engaging and mobilizing members of multiple communities across what could be an isolating or stratified landscape. They identify four key elements of Echo's work: building relationships among community members and across communities, providing information and developing knowledge, cultivating an awareness of community or sense of community consciousness, and working to hold elected officials accountable.

Helen Johnson and Joyce Parker of Southern Echo presented their organizing and engagement strategies as well as lessons learned from their work at a webinar, hosted by the Annenberg Institute, for planning grantees of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation’s District-Level Systems Change initiative (DLSC). Community organizing and engagement is a major component of the initiative, which has a primary focus on student-centered learning, and the seven sites that have received planning grants represent urban, industrial town, and rural communities. These sites are beginning their community engagement work, and Johnson and Parker explained Echo’s own beginnings — a series of wide-ranging listening tours. These tours enabled them to hear the concerns and perspectives of community members, benefit from the close ties and family relationships that could draw in others to their work, and learn who were the formal, informal or potential leaders in a community. Johnson and Parker highlighted the need to go out into the community, to learn the distinct cultures of each community, and to open a space of transparency and honesty.

Though the context of the Mississippi Delta is quite different from that of the New England-based planning grantees, many participants remarked at the relevance of Southern Echo's experiences to their emerging work engaging disparate community members, many of whom have not typically been part of planning and decision-making processes. Continued research on and investment in community organizing in rural contexts will help build understanding not only of what makes rural community organizing different, but how challenges can be overcome, assets utilized, and statewide or regional connections forged for an increased impact in rural communities across the country.

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES

Johnson, J. & Strange, M. (2009) Why Rural Matters 2009: State and Regional Challenges and Opportunities. Washington, DC: The Rural School and Community Trust.
> Download PDF

Provasnik, S., KewaiRamani, A., Coleman, M. M., Gilbertson, L., Herring, W., & Xie, Q.(2007). Status of Education in Rural America. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
> Available online

Russell, K., & Tieken, M. C. (2011). “Weaving a tapestry that won't unravel: The transformation of education in the Mississippi Delta.” In M. R. Warren, K. L. Mapp, & The Community Organizing and School Reform Project, A match on dry grass: Community organizing as a catalyst for school reform. New York: Oxford Press.
> Description, reviews, ordering

> Southern Echo

> Nellie Mae Education Foundation

RELATED AISR WORK

Nellie Mae Education Foundation DLSC Webinar Series
This Web page has complete videos, summaries, and resource pages for the Institute's webinar series focusing on the issues and challenges of community organizing and engagement.
> Read more

Community Organizing and Engagement
This Web page describes and provides links to the Institute’s projects that aim to build understanding of education issues in urban communities and develop their capacity to advocate for and participate in efforts to improve local schools.
> Read more

American Education Research Association Special Interest Group: Grassroots Community and Youth Organizing
This Web page describes a group, including Institute researchers, that works to advance research on community and youth organizing, particularly in low-income communities and communities of color.
> Visit the site

PREPARED BY
Tracie Potochnik
Research Associate, District Redesign
Annenberg Institute for School Reform
Tracie_Potochnik@brown.edu