Community Strategies Group

Quality of life is largely determined by the characteristics of places, for better or worse. Differences between places drive inequalities in economic opportunity, educational attainment and health outcomes. A Thrive Rural Brief by Brian Dabson.

The Rural Development Innovation Group has identified and highlighted what’s working in rural community and economic development, and championed thoughtful policy and investment recommendations, all with the goal of moving rural America forward.

The Rural Development Innovation Group has identified and highlighted what’s working in rural community and economic development, and championed thoughtful policy and investment recommendations, all with the goal of moving rural America forward.

Good data, fair media practices, and an understanding of organizational needs and assets are fundamental to progress.

Small but mighty, rural-serving organizations work in concert with local people, firms and governments to
fill gaps and adapt to do whatever it is communities need done.

In early March, a group of experts and practitioners came together to discuss the challenges rural students face in pursuing education beyond high school. We checked in to see how their students are coping, how their teams are reacting, and what the novel coronavirus could mean for rural education.

Knowing what is true about rural places and people is a challenge. Too often, people lump all of rural America into one “flyover-country” stereotype. But saying that all of rural America is the same is like saying Detroit and San Francisco are the same, or Birmingham and Boston. This brief shares a few truths worth knowing about rural America.

Data drives policy development. But many datasets fall short in representing rural realities. Given the increasing attention to rural areas in public policy and popular discourse, along with notable trends disadvantaging rural places—persistent poverty and global economic shifts—this search for “good” rural data is timely.

This report underscores and articulates how ongoing changes in the structure and business of media and journalism contribute to the gap between rural realities and public perception of rural America.

Modern policies require us to discard stereotypes and recognize the diversity of rural America.