Rural educators must address globalization, environmental threats, expert writes

Many rural communities have already weathered a transition from farming to industrialization, but a recent meeting of community educators highlighted a need for rural educators to help their students and communities adapt to change caused by globalization.

Timothy Collins, the assistant director of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University in Macomb, reported on his experiences as the National Community Education Association meeting in Dallas, for an article in The Daily Yonder: "Community-based rural schools are engaging their students in learning experiences that deal with significant local issues such as small-business start ups; implementing agricultural and alternative energy projects; and environmental studies and restoration."

Part of the challenge facing rural communities is the environmental threat to the land-community bonds that often typify rural experience. "Rural communities face a shared problem: they tend to be simultaneously exploited by and disconnected from the global economy," Collins writes. "Even when these places seem forgotten, they remain sources for low-cost labor and natural resources." This means that rural education must also include an emphasis on stewardship, with "a curriculum that preserves and enhances the community’s assets, while recognizing the importance of global citizenship." (Read more)