Rural Community Groups as a Catalyst to Drive School Reform

• In Event: 32.074 - Complex Politics in Rural School and Community Relationships

Abstract

This study examines the extent to which rural community groups may serve as a catalyst to drive school reform and increase community engagement. Rethinking Education in Rural Settings (RERS) was convened in 2015 as a county-wide initiative in a rural, Northern state to consider how the region could better address youth well-being through minimizing adverse childhood experiences and trauma in area youth’s lives. The group includes representatives from mental health organizations, human service groups, schools, and tribal groups. Traditionally, these groups have often operated to address issues of poverty, trauma, spatial inequity and racial discrimination through parallel efforts. The goal of this study was to understand how and why the group positioned schools as central to their reform efforts.

Authors

• Catharine Biddle, University of Maine

• Ian Mette, University of Maine