A recent report conducted by Whiteboard advisors and funded by Idaho’s J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation revealed a “significant disconnect” between rural superintendents and Washington “insiders” that could account for the lack of suitable attention paid to rural education issues.

Overall, however, we found significant disconnects between the Insiders (administration and Capitol Hill officials and key education leaders in Washington) and rural superintendents. When we asked both groups to rank the three biggest problems facing rural school districts, there was no overlap. Superintendents said their top issues were lack of “full funding for special education,” paperwork and compliance requirements, and lack of flexibility for spending federal dollars. Insiders said the top challenges facing rural superintendents were recruiting and retaining teachers and lack of school and classroom technology. Moreover, two of the top three challenges cited by Idaho superintendents were issues that Insiders put at the bottom of their list. This helps explain why policies designed for the communities dominating the political and education debate are often poorly suited for rural districts.

Idaho Statesman | Guest Opinion: Rural Idaho leaders need to make education demands clear to Washington