News and Insights

Is Innovation in Rural Education Blazing a Trail for Us All?

June 27, 2025

Conversations about education tend to overwhelmingly focus on cities and sprawling suburbs. The reality is, however, that our social fabric is overwhelmingly made up of rural communities. In fact, 71% of the geographic area of the United States consists of rural communities. And what “rural education” means is as varied and unique as people are. Rural education is not a monolith.

FINN Global Education recently held our first Issues & Insights Webinar: Reimagining Rural Education, where we discussed the through lines and insights coming from rural communities that can actually help provide solutions and novel approaches applicable to the greater education landscape. I engaged in a dynamic and inspiring conversation with three experts who specialize in innovation in rural education: Pam Buffington, PhD, Director of Rural STEM Initiatives for the U.S. Division at Education Development Center; Moschoula Douris, current principal of the General Lyceum in Evdilos, Ikaria, Greece; and Melissa Harris, a Senior Fellow at Transcend Education. Having spent the entirety of my academic learning in large, urban communities (Athens, Greece and NYC), I was curious and a bit surprised by the scale of collaboration happening in these communities.

What Does Rural Mean?

But, first, let’s talk about the numbers. According to the National Education Association, 20 percent of U.S. students attend schools in rural communities. More than 7 million students are enrolled in rural school districts; and an additional 2.5 million attend rural schools in districts that are not designated “rural” by the Census Bureau. According to the National Rural Education Association, more students attend rural schools than attend the 100 largest U.S. school districts combined. Consider the diversity of geographies, economic conditions and cultural norms across our nation and what that means for these school communities.

On the global stage, the numbers are astounding, starting with over 1.3 billion children enrolled in K-12 schools, and approximately 250 million out-of-school children (those who should be enrolled in school, but are not for various reasons). Despite vast bodies of research, there is no universally accepted count for global rural K-12 primary and secondary education. It is, however, accepted that globally rural schools serve hundreds of millions of students and represent a critical component of the global education landscape. Data from organizations like the World Bank and UNICEF consistently show that children in rural areas, especially in low-income countries, face significant disparities in accessing and completing education, challenges often mirrored in the U.S. with regard to issues like reliable access to the internet and transportation.

Innovation in Rural Education: Seeing the Value in Everyone and Everywhere

Rurality is not a deficit,  yet we often think of it as such. These areas, while sometimes facing unique challenges, are vital to our identities, cultures and economies. And because they’re smaller than sprawling suburbs or densely populated urban centers, they’re able to experiment with new ideas in ways we can all learn from. As Buffington put it, they have a smaller boat to move, not a ship. 

While there are common realities that nag educators, learners and parents in rural settings, there are also common enablers of success, like innovative school design, targeted policies, strategic technology integration and strengthening community partnerships. Buffington, Douris and Harris all agreed that leveraging networks, creating space for community leadership, working from an assets-based framework, and encouraging sustainable investment are critical components in ensuring fair and high-quality education for rural students, and indeed all students. 

Place-based learning was central to much of what we discussed, in a variety of ways: 

• Buffington described how they’re teaching students STEM through local dairy farmers’ use of technology. 
• Harris talked about how communities across West Texas are banding together to share resources. 
• Douris emphasized the importance of respecting and honoring every community’s identity, and every child’s value. “You need to make children feel safe, and you need to make them feel valued. If you don’t do that, you can’t get anywhere.”

I encourage you to watch our vibrant 45-minute webinar exploring innovation in rural education. To connect with us about the work of the Finn Partners Global Education Team, reach out to set up a chat.