[Weekly EdNews Round Up] Why Rural Matters

No one knows better than educators about the importance of staying up-to-date. In Edmentum’s Weekly News Round Up, you’ll find the latest and most interesting education news, all in one place.

Nearly one in five students in the U.S. — about 9.3 million — attend a rural school, and many districts have high rates of poverty and student mobility. According to the recently released ninth edition of ‘Why Rural Matters’, many of these rural districts could face an education ‘emergency.’ Read all about the “Why Rural Matters” report, diversifying your classroom library, the 2020 census, and more in this week’s EdNews Round Up.

Report: Many rural districts face education 'emergency'
Education Dive
The ninth edition of “Why Rural Matters” includes measures of college readiness and a focus on the needs of young children.

States Where Rural Educators Earn the Highest Salaries
U.S. News
Educators in America’s rural school districts earn less than their peers in other places, according to a report released Thursday by the Rural School and Community Trust.

Nearly One in Five U.S. Students Attend Rural Schools. Here's What You Should Know About Them
EdWeek
More than 9.3 million U.S. students attended a rural school last year. A new report examines factors that affect them like poverty, academic achievement, and diversity.

A Manhattan High School Reframes How Slavery Is Taught Using The New York Times’s 1619 Project
The 74
Part of what’s making this year’s lessons novel for students like Mata is an addition to the school’s history curriculum: The New York Times’s 1619 Project — a compilation of essays and poetry, penned almost entirely by black authors, that re-examines slavery’s legacy in the U.S. 400 years after the first enslaved people arrived here from West Africa.

Getting the Most Out of a Diverse Classroom Library
NPR
Many teachers are working to bring in books that provide students with windows and mirrors. Once the books are in the room, what’s next?

The 2020 Census Matters for Every Student. Here’s Why.
Education Votes
Using census data, the federal government allocates tens of billions of dollars in education funds to states and localities annually using formulas that factor in population and poverty levels.

Education policy is often a topic of conversation in state and federal legislatures. Stay in-the-know with this week’s top stories regarding education reform at the state and national level.

California schools closed for unprecedented number of days due to fire, power outages
EdSource
State, school districts turning to facilities bonds to help fund solar, generators to keep schools open during future outages.

Oklahoma Charter School Opens With Hopes To Better Serve Native American Students
NPR
In Oklahoma, a new charter school has opened to serve Native American students. The hope is to promote Indigenous identities in the classroom.

New bill to give free higher education to National Guard families
ABC 27
The Pennsylvania GI Bill is the first of its kind in the country and is now available to provide Pennsylvania National Guard members’ families with higher education funding.

New Jersey CS Initiative to Award $2M in Grants
The Journal
New Jersey is investing in helping schools statewide bolster their computer science programs and create professional development opportunities for teachers. Governor Phil Murphy's Computer Science for All State Plan will award $2 million in grants to help schools and higher education institutions train teachers, create model curricula for programs of study and prep students and teachers to earn credits for advanced computer sciences.

Teachers Get Even with Bevin in Kentucky
U.S. News
The bad blood between educators and the governor was likely a factor in the election. But it’s unclear if the dynamic has broader implications for 2020.