More than three-fourths of a group of education leaders say federal policies were designed primarily for urban and suburban districts and often are poorly suited to rural ones.
That’s one of the results in last month’s “Education Insider,” a monthly report by the policy-oriented consulting group Whiteboard Advisors.
Most respondents didn’t think rural education was a priority for the U.S. Department of Education. It scored 4 on a 1-to-10 scale. The Individuals with Disabilities Act was deemed the most burdensome of federal policies for rural districts, and providing more funding flexibility came out on top of the actions the government could take to improve education for rural students.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon arrives before President Donald Trump attends a reception for Women's History Month in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Washington. In a letter Friday, McMahon told state leaders on March 28 that their time to spend remaining COVID relief funds would end that same day.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington, Thursday, March 20, 2025. McMahon said that the U.S. Department of Education would make a "revitalized effort" to pursue federal student privacy law violations for parents' rights, asserting that school "gender plans" that aren't available to parents violate the federal law.
President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on Feb. 5, 2025, before signing an executive order barring transgender females from competing in women's or girls' sports. Transgender athlete policies have been a common subject of investigations into schools, colleges, state education departments, and athletic associations by the U.S. Department of Education since Trump took office.
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