Rural school achievement and growth as an equity concern intertwined with seasonal learning patterns¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 1 study (1 associational), q3 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The brief situates rural achievement within an equity framing and connects it to seasonal learning research. The page lists the brief's topics as "Equity" and "Seasonal learning patterns & summer loss," indicating the analysis treats rural students' math and reading achievement as an equity issue and examines growth across the school year and summer.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Requires achievement and growth data disaggregated for rural schools and, per the seasonal topic framing, across periods of the calendar year

Constraints¶

• The framing applies to rural schools in the United States, as the analysis covers rural schools "across the nation"

Target Learners¶

• K-12 students in rural US schools

Target Learning Objectives¶

• Math achievement
• Reading achievement
• Understanding seasonal growth patterns

Claims¶

• The rural–nonrural achievement divergence is driven by larger summer losses for rural students [+W]
• Black–White achievement gaps widen during the school year in both rural and nonrural schools [+W]

Related Theories¶

• Seasonal learning patterns and summer loss as an accountability-relevant phenomenon

Examples¶

• Use national rural-school achievement and growth analyses to help educators and policymakers understand and support rural schools' potential needs

Key Sources¶

• Johnson, A., Kuhfeld, M., & Soland, J. (2022). The forgotten 20 percent: Achievement and growth in rural schools across the nation. NWEA Research Brief. https://www.nwea.org/research-publication/the-forgotten-20-percent-achievement-and-growth-in-rural-schools-across-the-nation/