As school districts throughout the country confront how to safely educate students in the midst of a global pandemic, rural districts face unique challenges. Issues such as diminished resources, inequities based on race, transportation and inadequate access to broadband are exacerbated in these communities, whether instruction is delivered in classrooms, online or a combination of both. Members of the Institute for Nonprofit News are examining how COVID-19 is changing the 2020-21 school year, paying particular attention to the disproportionate impacts on Spanish-speaking communities, Native American communities and people who live in poverty.
Participating newsrooms are Charlottesville Tomorrow, El Paso Matters, Iowa Watch, The Nevada Independent, New Mexico in Depth, Underscore News/Pamplin Media Group and Wisconsin Watch/The Badger Project.
This collaboration was made possible by a grant from the Walton Family Foundation.
El Paso Matters
Rural border schools face unique challenges during the pandemic
Published on August 17, 2020
Wisconsin Watch
Wisconsin’s rural students face a digital divide as some return to screens instead of school
Published on August 25, 2020
The Nevada Independent
In rural Nevada, bridging the education ‘digital divide’ largely means improving internet access
Published on August 26, 2020
IowaWatch
Iowa schools near meatpacking plants lack extra guidance on virus
Published on August 27, 2020
Underscore News/Pamplin Media Group
Battling a COVID backslide in Central Oregon schools (1st of 3)
Published on August 27, 2020
Underscore News/Pamplin Media Group
Closing the graduation gap in Jefferson County's schools (2nd of 3)
Published on August 27, 2020
Underscore News/Pamplin Media Group
Oregon’s mandatory distance learning puts pressure on families (3rd of 3)
Published on August 27, 2020
Charlottesville Tomorrow
Published on August 28, 2020
Charlottesville Tomorrow
COVID-19 pressures Orange schools to increase routes
Published on October 19, 2020
Wisconsin Watch
Wisconsin schools ‘whipsawing’ as COVID-19 hits rural districts
Published on October 20, 2020
Underscore News/Pamplin Media Group
Amid technical and logistical challenges, Warm Springs parents struggle to connect
Published on October 21, 2020
El Paso Matters
El Paso COVID-19 surge could disrupt rural border education efforts
Published on October 22, 2020
New Mexico In Depth
COVID complicates college prep for Native students
Published on October 22, 2020
IowaWatch
Published on October 23, 2020
The Nevada Independent
A rural district’s solution for reopening schools? Six-week courses for older students
Published on October 23, 2020
IowaWatch
South Hamilton, like other rural Iowa schools, takes on what-ifs of learning in COVID
Published on January 4, 2021
IowaWatch
The people behind a rural Iowa school district enduring the coronavirus
Published on January 4, 2021
New Mexico In Depth
A historic year, learning loss threatens recent educational gains
Published on January 4, 2021
El Paso Matters
Nine months into the pandemic, learning impact on rural border schools remains unclear
Published on January 4, 2021
Wisconsin Watch
As semester ends in Wisconsin, COVID-19 fears shrink — while concerns of academic slide grow
Published on January 5, 2021
Charlottesville Tomorrow
Orange County middle school declines to release attendance during pandemic, compare to 2019
Published on January 4, 2021
Underscore News/Pamplin Media Group
Working Through Challenges in Rural Oregon
Published on January 8, 2021
The Nevada Independent
In a small rural school reside big hopes for Nevada's Native students
Published on January 11, 2021
New Mexico in Depth
Rural schools battled bad internet, low attendance in the pandemic. Will spring semester be better?
Published on January 21, 2021
