Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/969549
Hills Community College Coalinga and an opportunity to earn a two-year associate degree in high school. Upon graduating, students can either work for Wonderful or attend a four-year college to complete their bachelor's degree in two years. ese students also have guaranteed admission to Fresno State University. The school has a Future Farmers of America club for raising livestock and a tractor mechanics class. Agriculture teacher Ryan Fellows teaches about hor- ticulture in the school's citrus fields. "We are trying to create a college-going culture at school," says Wilkinson. "And we encourage students to look at a variety of careers." Av e n a l t e a c h e r s t a ke stu d e n t s o n field trips to visit colleges. And laptops are available for ever y student, which is important when students don't have access to technology at home. It benefits the entire family, says Wilkinson, because parents use them for job applications and online courses. "O ur str uggle i s th e sam e as many urban schools. We are just more remote," says Wilkinson. "We struggle with gangs, drugs and poverty." ere is also high teacher turnover, but Wilkinson isn't leaving. "I love these kids. It can be heartbreak- ing, because the poverty is so pervasive. But if they work hard, they can be the first student in their family to go to college. And I want to help with that." Shattering stereotypes "ere are a lot of misconceptions about rural schools," says Michelle Rosenbloom Quirsfeld , president of the Mammoth Education Association (MEA). "People think that we are not up-to-date in our instruction or training because we live in a rural town." Mammoth teachers are anything but country bumpkins, asserts Quirsfeld, a fourth-grade teacher at Mammoth Ele- mentar y School who also teaches cross-country skiing. " We are well 29 A P R I L / M AY 2 018 Vital Statistics Source: California County Superintendents Educational Services Association. Percentage of: California public schools classified as rural 11.5 State education funding to rural school districts 3.0 Minority students in California rural school districts 57.5 Special education students enrolled in California rural school districts 8.8 Students in California rural school districts eligible for free/reduced-priced meals 59.1 Percent small rural districts English learners enrolled in rural school districts CA US CA US Number of California students in rural districts 220 thousand 71.7 20.9 49.9 3.5 Source: "Why Rural Matters 2015-2016: Understanding the Changing Landscape," a report of the Rural School and Community Trust.