NACAC - Spring 2020 - 31

"It is clear that there is a lot of talent in rural communities," Lopez
writes. "If America's high-graduation-rate colleges and universities
provide greater access and opportunity for talented low-income rural
students, they have the potential not only to propel these students'
social mobility, but to provide benefits to their communities as well."
WHAT'S IN THE WAY?
Means and other advocates have found that several factors make it more
difficult for students from small towns and less populated regions to attend
and succeed in college, resulting in what he calls the "invisibility of rural
schools, districts, and students and their families."
Rural students often cannot travel easily to visit college campuses.
College representatives, likewise, face challenges when planning to
visits to remote areas.
"Rural students do not always have the resources to make college visits
and admissions officers do not frequently visit rural schools," says Linda
Binion, counseling director at King George High School in a rural part of
Virginia, about 70 miles down the Potomac River from Washington, DC. "As
a result, rural students tend to look at a limited number of colleges in a close
geographic area."
While NACAC promotes consideration of rural students among admission
officers, David Hawkins, the association's executive director for educational
content and policy, has noted that more selective institutions are often less
likely to participate in small regional recruiting fairs that draw rural students.
Another problem stems from the well-documented decrease in
income levels for families living in rural areas, particularly in regions
struggling with unemployment or underemployment.
According to one national study, colleges are more likely to recruit
from areas with families whose incomes are above $100,000 and
forgo visits to areas where the average family income is $70,000 or
lower, putting rural students at a disadvantage. The study, by EMRA
Research, also found that colleges concentrate disproportionately on
private schools, which are more commonly found in large urban or
suburban areas.
Other research found low-income students were less likely to want
to leave their communities and may face pressures from home.
"I worked with a student who supported her family financially and
ran the day-to-day activities of the household," says Binion. "When
she applied to college, she left the computer screen open and her
mother sabotaged her college application. In some families this
change creates conflict."
There can also be student anxiety about navigating a large or urban
campus, and even worry from parents about how it will change their
relationship, Binion said.
"Parents, for instance, wonder if they can relate to their collegeeducated child or if their child will move away and not want to spend
time with them after being exposed to a different lifestyle," she says.
SCHOOL RESOURCES
Donald Crow, a former veteran counselor in rural Colorado who now works
on a state program designed to get more trained counselors in schools,

"There are often negative ideas about
what our students are capable of.
Some people don't fully understand
what they can bring to the table."
-Darah Tabrum, community engagement coordinator,
Navajo Preparatory School (NM)

NACAC'S RURAL AND
SMALL TOWN SIG
A group of more than 1,000 professionals from admission offices,
high schools, and other organizations have come together through
NACAC to form a special interest group (SIG) devoted to improving
college access for rural students.
The Rural and Small Town SIG brings together professionals
who support rural education and share knowledge of rural assets,
challenges, and issues with one another. Anyone can join. A variety
of resources are available to members, including monthly virtual
meetings and lists of rural high schools.
"We wanted to bring all folks to the table to prioritize rural
college access; offer free resources and a network to advisers and
school counselors-many of whom have little to no professional
development funds but incredible ideas; and to tap experts to share
knowledge and best practices," said group co-leader Andrew Moe,
director of admissions at Swarthmore College (PA).
-Jim Paterson

says the availability of counselors has a significant effect on college
attendance by rural students.
"Because of tight budgets, many of the people in those (college
counseling) roles are teachers or other school personnel...Many of
them also have full-time class loads, and they don't have time to attend
workshops, or get training, or spend the time with students that is needed.
In most urban areas they have specific career and college counselors."
Limited resources can also mean that schools in these regions provide
fewer options when it comes to accelerated academics, unique extracurricular
activities, and travel opportunities-factors that many colleges weigh when
making admission decisions, says Chris Gage, vice president for strategy
and enrollment at Hanover College, located in rural southeastern Indiana.
Although dual enrollment has grown in rural areas, with 23 percent of rural
students enrolled in at least one dual enrollment class, not all colleges grant
transfer credit for those courses. And researchers have also found the rigor of
such courses varies widely.

SPRING 2020

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NACAC - Spring 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NACAC - Spring 2020
