Rural School Consolidation

The consolidation of rural schools in the United States has been a controversial topic for policy-makers, school administrators, and rural communities since the 1800s. At issue in the consolidation movement have been concerns of efficiency, economics, student achievement, school size, and community...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Joe Bard, Clark Gardener, Regi Wieland
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: National Rural Education Association 2018-12-01
Series:The Rural Educator
Online Access:https://www.jhseonline.com/index.php/ruraled/article/view/497
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author Joe Bard
Clark Gardener
Regi Wieland
author_facet Joe Bard
Clark Gardener
Regi Wieland
author_sort Joe Bard
collection DOAJ
description The consolidation of rural schools in the United States has been a controversial topic for policy-makers, school administrators, and rural communities since the 1800s. At issue in the consolidation movement have been concerns of efficiency, economics, student achievement, school size, and community identity. Throughout the history of schooling in America, school consolidation has been a way to solve rural issues in the eyes of policy makers and many education officials. Today, faced with declining enrollments and financial cutbacks, many rural schools and communities continue to deal with challenges associated with possible school reorganizations and consolidations. This paper, developed by the NREA Consolidation Task Force, provides a review of the literature on rural school consolidation, defines consolidation, addresses current research and issues related to consolidation with respect to school size, economies of scale, and student achievement, and concludes with proposed recommendations for the NREA Executive Board.
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spelling doaj.art-299d2401c26c4e83b8ee550474199fb62022-12-22T00:27:48ZengNational Rural Education AssociationThe Rural Educator0273-446X2643-96622018-12-0127210.35608/ruraled.v27i2.497Rural School ConsolidationJoe Bard0Clark Gardener1Regi Wieland2NREA Consolidation Task ForceNREA Consolidation Task ForceNREA Consolidation Task ForceThe consolidation of rural schools in the United States has been a controversial topic for policy-makers, school administrators, and rural communities since the 1800s. At issue in the consolidation movement have been concerns of efficiency, economics, student achievement, school size, and community identity. Throughout the history of schooling in America, school consolidation has been a way to solve rural issues in the eyes of policy makers and many education officials. Today, faced with declining enrollments and financial cutbacks, many rural schools and communities continue to deal with challenges associated with possible school reorganizations and consolidations. This paper, developed by the NREA Consolidation Task Force, provides a review of the literature on rural school consolidation, defines consolidation, addresses current research and issues related to consolidation with respect to school size, economies of scale, and student achievement, and concludes with proposed recommendations for the NREA Executive Board.https://www.jhseonline.com/index.php/ruraled/article/view/497
spellingShingle Joe Bard
Clark Gardener
Regi Wieland
Rural School Consolidation
The Rural Educator
title Rural School Consolidation
title_full Rural School Consolidation
title_fullStr Rural School Consolidation
title_full_unstemmed Rural School Consolidation
title_short Rural School Consolidation
title_sort rural school consolidation
url https://www.jhseonline.com/index.php/ruraled/article/view/497
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