Mediating Urban-centricity in Education Policy: A Case Study

Since No Child Left Behind, Tennessee has come into the national spotlight for both its poor performance and for its determined education reform efforts, concentrating specifically on meeting federal standards and initiatives (Whitmire, 2013). However, I argue that this and subsequent political action at the federal level has been decidedly urban-centric, and that there has been a dearth of attention paid to specific problems that rural schools face. As a state with a large rural population, I examine the state of Tennessee as a case study in rural education policy. Using the ARC definition, Tennessee is also home to 52 Appalachian counties, making it a model for rural states broadly and the Appalachian region specifically (Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, 2016). To explore the effects of federal mandates on such a state, I review the rural education literature to identify the salient problems identified in rural areas. After this review, I survey political actions from the state with attention to these issues, both at the federal and state levels. Tennessee’s record for addressing rural education issues appears to be a mixed bag. At times, they reify the urban focus prominent in federal policy. At others, they exemplify the necessary flexibility for a state with a large rural population to rectify both rural and urban education deficits. Most importantly, I argue that Tennessee’s recent initiatives demonstrate its place as a leader for education reform both nationally and for rural states in particular. Key Terms: rural education, education policy References Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (2016). State of Tennessee Four-Year Appalachian Development Plan. Retrieved from https://www.tn.gov/assets/entities/ecd/attachments/TN_ARC_4-_Year_Plan.pdf Whitmire, R. (2013). Tennessee and D.C. lead education reform: Column. USA Today. Web. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/11/07/tennessee-dc-improving-education-schools-column/3465103