Addressing educational challenges in rural areas is as important as addressing those in urban and some suburban areas if achievement gaps are to be closed in this country. One promising strategy that responds to these challenges is the expansion of learning time for all students attending schools with large concentrations of low-income students. A comprehensive, well-implemented approach to school reform that adds time to school days, weeks, and/or years for all students can result in significant learning gains. But such programs have proven difficult to put into place in rural areas.
Fortunately, there are programs successfully providing additional learning services for rural students with the greatest academic challenges in a limited number of rural, low-income areas. After-school, before school, intersession, weekend, holiday, and summer learning programs are proving to be effective in serving the needs of students who require more than what is available through the regular school day. Still, it must be acknowledged that schooling options for low-income parents in rural areas are much rarer for them than their non-rural peers.
Please join us for a lively discussion and Q&A session on a new paper from the Center for American Progress by Roy Forbes about rural after-school programs and their resource needs, successes, and challenges.
Featured Panelists:
Roy Forbes, Education Consultant
Jaime R. Harrison, Director of Floor Operations and Counsel to Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, U.S. House of Representatives
Terry K. Peterson, Senior Fellow, College of Charleston and Director, Afterschool and Community Learning Network
Moderated by:
Cynthia G. Brown, Director of Education Policy, Center for American Progress