Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Restructuring Underutilized Resources for Advancing Learning Act” or the “RURAL Act”.
Restructuring Underutilized Resources for Advancing Learning Act
A BILL
To establish an Office of Rural Education Policy in the Department of Education, make other modifications to Federal law to improve rural schools, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Findings and purposes
Findings— The Congress finds the following:
Rural schools have unique challenges and benefits.
More than 33 percent of regular elementary and secondary public schools nationwide are in locations classified as rural. As of the 2010–2011 school year, more than 20 percent of public school students were enrolled in rural school districts.
In rural areas of the United States, 6,100,000 children live in poverty.
Among children living in rural areas, 24 percent live in poverty, compared to 20 percent among nonrural children.
Rural schools have fewer financial resources than non-rural schools, largely as a result of diminished local property tax bases and inequitable distributions of State funds.
There is a substantial pay gap for teachers and administrators in rural school districts. Rural teachers and administrators in the U.S. earn about $10,000 less than their counterparts in nonrural schools.
Rural schools have difficulty recruiting and retaining teachers. A recent survey of rural school superintendents suggests low salaries combined with social and geographic isolation are the primary factors responsible for difficulties recruiting and retaining teachers.
Digital learning technology holds the promise of transforming rural education by removing barriers of distance and increasing school capacity.
While many large urban local education agencies are at the forefront of implementing new digital learning innovations, it is often harder for smaller and more rural local education agencies to access these tools. Smaller local education agencies with less capacity may also find it more difficult to provide the training needed to effectively implement new digital learning technologies.
Low literacy rates among parents in poor rural communities affect the early language development and educational aspirations of children.
Investing in after-school programs helps children in rural communities break out of the cycle of poverty and creates opportunities for at-risk youth.
In areas in which resources are limited, after-school programs are often the only source of supplemental enrichment in literacy, nutrition education, technology, and preparation for college and entrance exams.
Children attending rural schools have the lowest median per-student funding for after-school programs under the 21st Century Community Learning Center Program under part B of title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7171 et seq.), as compared to children attending urban and suburban schools.
Purposes— The purposes of this Act are—
to establish an Office of Rural Education Policy in the Department of Education;
to provide input to the Secretary of Education regarding the impact of proposed changes in law, regulations, policies, rules, and budgets on rural schools and communities;
to provide a tax incentive to individuals teaching in elementary and secondary schools located in rural or high unemployment areas and to individuals who achieve certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards;
to support the expansion of the use of digital learning through competitive grants to partnerships to implement and evaluate the results of technology-based learning practices, strategies, tools, or programs at rural schools; and
to enhance after-school programs in rural areas by helping communities establish after-school programs and improve existing programs by over-coming barriers to service.