Annotated Bibliography

Background Information

The United States is facing a dropout crisis, with an estimated 1.1 million members of the 2012 high school graduating class not earning diplomas (U.S Department of Education, 2012). According to the United States Department of Education students who live in two parent homes, and are considered to live in a stable environment are more prone to graduating from high school with a higher GPA than those living in impoverished areas. The search for solutions to the problem of low achievement in schools serving children raised in poverty is not a new phenomenon. Title I has recognized the needs of poor children and the schools that serve them in large numbers through the allocation of additional resources. Educators rarely

William Carbonaro discusses the “Coleman Report” and the differences in school sectors. James S. Coleman concluded in the Equality of Educational Opportunity disadvantaged children learn better in well-integrated classrooms. It is argued that schools in rural demographic areas as being detrimental to students’ achievement. It is believed availability of advanced courses taken at all schools, no matter the area, would narrow the difference in the achievement gaps (Carbonaro & Covay, 2010). Critically thinking it is important to examine the sector differences from different perspectives, which is a limitation that the article has. The small size of rural schools helps to alleviate and combat the poverty rate amongst students which is a factor that can have effects on achievement rates of students in high

The longitudinal study results found that students that are in rural areas often lack quality resources that will provide their students with an education that lead to higher education. The researchers found that academic achievement was less related to the quality of a student's school, and more related to the social composition of the school, the student's sense of control of his environment and future, the verbal skills of teachers, and the student's family background. However, on the other hand distance education may not be feasible in some rural areas due to a lack of computers and Internet, so it is not always a viable supplement for lack of resources (Carbonaro & Covay, 2010). Also, schools in rural areas take a direct, active role in deciding what their students should learn versus those that are located in suburban and urban areas that have little to no say so in what their curriculum, just the methods of