The Rural Divide

Following Governor JB Pritzker's initial closure of all public and private schools in Illinois and a tele-townhall including more than 1200 educational leaders across the state, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released a statement on their focus to "ensure that every public school has the technology needed to provide e-learning to all students in the immediate future." Within days of the announcement, districts of all sizes had implemented short term plans to assist students in accessing the necessary technology. Belleville Township HSD 201 and Olympia CUSD 16 launched multiple busses equipped with Wi-Fi to be available at various locations throughout the community; Bloomington SD 87 began renting laptops and piloting internet services to students' homes at no charge; and Champaign USD 4 implemented fixed, temporary, and bus locations for students throughout the district. Even with the recent announcement of Drive-Up Wi-Fi for students, many downstate districts fear the growing disparity between districts who can take advantage of these opportunities and those in more rural communities where high speed internet access remains unavailable.

Along with the closure of all Illinois schools for the remainder of the academic school year, Pritzker announced on Friday, the result of a collaborative partnership between ISBE, the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), and the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) among others, a wi-fi hotspot map to assist students during this time of remote learning. On March 15th, the map included 200 hotspots. By the 17th, when the announcement was made, locations had increased to more than 300. Of these locations, 120 sit in counties North of I-80 leaving only 188 to cover the state's remaining 43,552 square miles.

For districts that span up to 450 square miles, students can be left with a drive of 20 minutes or more to access the internet IF they have a device on which to do so. While some districts tout narrowing of the gap in technology resources between their schools thanks to state funding that has allowed them to distribute more than 26,000 Chromebooks with more on the way, the divide between resources in the most rural districts is growing. In a recent interview with Jodi S. Cohen, Trico CUSD 176 Superintendent, Larry Lovel discussed how the current state of affairs "moves us even further down the road with closing the gap in achievement and technology and accessibility that others take for granted." He went on to say, "My concern about the lack of technology and broadband in our region started long before this. I hope that when the dust settles, this will be addressed in the future."

"Many rural students are largely invisible to state policymakers because they live in states where education policy is dominated by highly visible urban problems."

Mr. Lovel is not alone. The Rural School and Community Trust concluded its newest report, "Why Rural Matters" with these words: "Many rural students are largely invisible to state policymakers because they live in states where education policy is dominated by highly visible urban problems." Despite the higher costs associated with rural and small schools, only an average of 17% of state education funds go to rural districts. In Illinois, this shrinks to less than 9% despite the fact that nearly 1 in 5 Illinois students is attending one of these districts.

For now, leaders like Superintendent Brad Lee of Carmi-White County CUSD5, a rural district to 1400 students spanning more than 240 square miles, will continue to create learning environments "where students come first and always remain at the heart of [their] commitment." Through a combination of the limited technology that is available, paper and pencil, specially created STEM packages, personally delivered meals, and shear will, these teachers and staff have "tackled the digital divide" in their own ways allowing their students to #keeplearning during these uncertain times. These are the students who will keep learning through examples being set for them: examples of resilience, empathy, and adaptability that become most apparent in times like these.

These are the students who will keep learning through examples being set for them: examples of resilience, empathy, and adaptability that become most apparent in times like these.

Just days after Betsy DeVos took the office of U.S. Secretary of Education, U.S. News and World Report contributor, Juliet Squire released an article imploring DeVos to acknowledge and truly see Rural America. While her request may have fallen on deaf ears at the time, Squires commentary seems to resonate even more today than it did three years ago:

"In the face of sometimes daunting challenges, rural communities have strengths that provide a foundation for school improvement – a deep sense of self-reliance, a willingness to pitch in and work together, an ability to find creative solutions with constrained resources and an earnest belief that education continues to be the best path toward economic prosperity."