Present Situation, Problems, and Policy Solutions Concerning the State of Teacher Quality in Low-Income, Rural West Virginia

Abstract

Since 40.6% of West Virginia schools are rural and 43.5% of the state's students attend these rural schools, it becomes incredibly important to scrutinize the functioning of the education system outside of the state's more urban areas. This separation into rural and urban gains even more importance upon learning that 54.8% of students attending rural schools in West Virginia receive free or reduced price lunch, a commonly used measure of childhood poverty. The fundamental nature of rural schools differs markedly from urban counterparts and calls for a distinctive plan to address teacher quality in low-income schools. [From Introduction]