[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 8157-8158]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  OFFICE OF RURAL EDUCATION POLICY ACT

  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Madam President, I was proud to join Senator Baucus 
from Montana in introducing legislation on Tuesday to establish an 
Office of Rural Education Policy at the Department of Education. 
Senator Baucus has been a tireless advocate for many issues affecting 
rural States like Montana and West Virginia, and I have been proud to 
work with him on several rural issues over the years. Notably, Senator 
Baucus and I are fortunate to have terrific partners in our work to 
improve rural education, including a diverse array of organizations 
that support this bill.
  Nearly one quarter of the students in America attend rural schools 
and the share of students in rural schools is increasing and more than 
half of the schools in West Virginia are in rural areas. This 
legislation will support these schools because it creates an Office in 
the Department of Education to make sure that Federal programs related 
to education are working for students in schools in rural areas.
  Schools in rural communities face special challenges but, they also 
have unique capabilities. Many of them continue to face shrinking local 
tax bases, difficulties recruiting and retaining teachers and 
principals, limited access to advanced courses, and proportionally 
higher transportation costs. At the same time, while smaller schools 
lack economies of scale, they may benefit from this small size and 
closeness to their communities. Parental involvement and support is 
typically high, and the potential for innovation is great.
  I am very proud of the communities in West Virginia and how they come 
together, often on their own time and with their own resources, to 
improve and support their local schools. Schools in West Virginia are 
also leaders in the use of distance learning given the geographical 
obstacles of our mountainous State. But, we need to make sure rural 
schools, including many in West Virginia, have the tools to succeed and 
access to the same opportunities that many schools in urban areas have, 
including health care, technology, and education.
  The Office of Rural Education Policy is modeled after the successful 
Office of

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Rural Health Policy at the Department of Health and Human Services, 
which Congress established in 1987. The Office will be led by a 
director charged with coordinating the activities of the Department of 
Education concerning rural education. It will establish and maintain a 
clearinghouse for issues faced by rural schools, such as teacher and 
principal recruitment and retention; partnerships with community-based 
organizations; and financing of rural schools.
  The office will identify innovative research and demonstration 
projects on rural schools, and recommend research to bridge any gaps. 
It will issue an annual report on the condition of rural education, and 
an analysis of the impact on rural education from proposed regulations 
and other activities will be made public.
  Rural schools have been a part of our national fabric since its very 
beginning. These students deserve the attention from the Department of 
Education this legislation will provide. It has been said that 
education in rural America is ``too large to be ignored but too small 
and diverse to be highly visible.'' We need to establish this Office so 
that education in these communities can thrive and so that its 
successes are more visible. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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