Rural Education Initiative
In keeping with the CESDP goal to help schools and communities "improve the quality of education for all citizens," the Rural Education Initiative assists schools and communities in rural settings develop a strategic effort to change educational practice by routinely bringing together a wide range of concerned citizens, parents, students, educators and community representatives who are committed to strengthening our schools and communities. Consortiums and projects have been established to ensure the support of these objectives and to provide resources to interested participants as well as disseminate the achievements and value of positive rural education strategies.
The CESDP supports a multi-strategy approach in our collaboration with schools and communities. Grounded in a sound research base, key strategies to ensure educational support of community development are:
- Place-Based Education - structured learning concerning issues of local history, culture, language, environment, and economy
- Family and Community Involvement - technical assistance, resources, conference activity, and consulting to support the development of effective strategies for parents and community members involved in local communities and schools
- Partnership Building - including the Northern New Mexico ENLACE project, designed to strengthen the K-16 education of all students in the region with the explicit goal of increasing the university graduation rate of Latino students
- Student Leadership Development - including convening student, parent, and teacher leadership conferences. One aspect of our leadership strategy involves teaching students to formally research educational issues such as the history of education in their locale, or barriers to school access and success
- Entrepreneurial Education - including the La Jicarita Enterprise Community (LJEC) Youth Entrepreneurial Network