Economic crisis threatens small, rural schools
When I first read this article I was expecting to read about merging classes, layoffs of teachers and/or cutting specials. But instead it was about the closure of one room school houses in the vineyard areas of California. I have to say I know it is an icon and "dwindled to 335 in 2006, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics", I thought they disappeared a long time ago. Our family went on a cross country trip and traveled through some remote area meaning a dirt road off the highway to nowhere in New Mexico I stopped and changed our two year old at. We also drove through the California Vineyards and they are very beautiful, we stopped and had the best fruit I had in awhile. However when I met people on our travels no one mentioned a one room school house I would have loved to see that. When I asked them how the school system worked around these rural areas most responses where home schooled, one person I met children went to a boarding school, and most mentioned online schooling. A few attended as a group in someone's home they were high school age so I guess it was more fun in a group and others younger upper elementary students on a individual basis similar to home schooling but online.
However after reading the article I can see way these small schools where loved. I know Pennsylvania has a strong cyber charter school system. The family farm I buy hay from three kids attend a charter cyber school, I sat down and talked with her one day and these kids know there stuff. I think these communities can pull together and keep the small school alive but with use of cyber schools, this would be much more economical for the districts and not such a disruption for the students.
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