Rural Problem Areas Need Better Schools

Education of the youth is recognized by workers in rural development as one of the most hopeful means of achieving satisfactory adjustment in low-income rural areas. Some writers have concluded that inadequacies in this regard represent one of the major causes for the persistence of problems in low-income areas. It is relatively easy to ascertain the quantity of education received by rural youths in low-income rural areas, that is, at 10- year intervals, when census data are available. But it is more difficult to ascertain the quality of education available to low-income rural youth. While factors for which data are available do not directly measure quality of education, it is generally conceded that in our commercially oriented society, there is a rather close relationship between expenditures for school operation and level of education provided. This report brings together and consolidates the information available for the nine generalized problem areas delineated in the Department's report to the President. It is hoped that this will aid workers in rural development to evaluate their own local school situations more ef fectively. The report is intended also to help them recognize more fully the necessity for improving educational opportunities as an element in community programs