ABSTRACT

This book provides solutions to the vexing educational challenges that rural communities face and serves as a how-to guide for building college and career readiness within rural schools.

Rural America's Pathways to College and Career shares practical tips that can be used by educators and community members to transform rural schools, help students develop essential skills, locate and train college- and career-ready advisors, establish business partnerships, build college readiness, leverage technology, build interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)  careers, and understand how to pay for college.

Based on research and drawing on best practice and poignant stories, Dalton shares examples of success and challenges from interviews conducted with over 200 individuals who have participated in programs across the country. By helping rural youth learn about the opportunities available and by providing them with the support they need to succeed, this book serves as an actionable guide to helping students in rural schools attain postsecondary school success.

chapter 1|23 pages

Rural America Today

chapter 2|23 pages

Building Successful Rural Schools

Beating the Odds

chapter 3|39 pages

The Essential Skills

Building Blocks of College and Career Readiness

chapter 4|26 pages

College- and Career-Readiness Advisors

Navigators to a New World

chapter 5|22 pages

Business Collaboration and Job Readiness

How to Find, Launch, and Retain Partnerships

chapter 6|25 pages

Building Readiness for College

chapter 7|28 pages

Leveraging Technology

Expanding Rural Opportunities

chapter 8|24 pages

Staying in College

Solving Rural America’s Dropout Crisis

chapter 9|26 pages

Building STEM Interest, Awareness, and Readiness

The Future is Now

chapter 10|30 pages

Paying for College

There’s Help Out There

chapter |3 pages

Conclusion

The Way Forward