07/31/07 Rural Students Excell

When I was a youngster I loved the story of Heidi the frail little city girl who goes to live with her grandfather in the country and blossoms in the fresh of the Swiss Alps. New studies now support the theory that country living is just plain good for kids, and apparently the same holds true for rural schools and teachers. A recently released Education Department study that has rocked the public education system found that at all grade levels rural students preformed better on national science and math tests than city kids. How could that be when rural schools typically lack the funding of suburban and urban counterparts? For one, the teacher to student ratio is smaller plus children receive their education in a society more connected to nature. Rural teachers have a much higher job satisfaction despite the fact that their salaries are usually lower. Rural schools tend to be the hub of the community and rural parents were more likely than suburban or urban to attend school functions So if you want to raise a math or science nerd sounds like you have better odds if live you in the country.