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ExpectMore.govExpectMore.gov home pageEXPECT FEDERAL PROGRAMS TO PERFORM WELL, AND BETTER EVERY YEAR.
Program Assessment

Program

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Rural Education

The program assists rural districts in improving the quality of teaching and learning through two programs: the Small, Rural School Achievement program assists districts that serve small numbers of students; the Rural and Low-Income School program assists districts that serve concentrations of poor students.

Rating

What This Rating Means

NOT PERFORMING
Results Not Demonstrated

A rating of Results Not Demonstrated (RND) indicates that a program has not been able to develop acceptable performance goals or collect data to determine whether it is performing.
  • The program provides the only dedicated stream of Federal funding that addresses the disparity between what rural Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) receive in State and Federal funding and what they need to support quality instruction.
  • A recent study of program implementation found that participating districts use Small Rural School Achievement program awards to target academic outcomes through improvements in technology and teacher quality. However, no high quality, independent evaluation of the Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS) program has been completed.
  • The Department is collecting student achievement data in reading/language arts and mathematics to assess the program's annual and long-term performance and its effectiveness in helping participating districts improve student proficiency in these core subjects.

Improvement Plan

About Improvement Plans

We are taking the following actions to improve the performance of the program:

  • Collecting performance data to gauge the program's impact on improving student proficiency in reading/language arts and mathematics in rural districts.
  • Evaluating the Rural and Low-Income School program to examine the types of activities and academic progress that these funds support.
  • Working with Congress on correcting statutory design flaws during the upcoming reauthorization.

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