Hare Forms House Rural Education Caucus

Press Release

Hare Forms House Rural Education Caucus

Congressman Phil Hare (D-IL) today announced that he has formed the House Rural Education Caucus with co-chairs Congressman Sam Graves (R-MO) and Congressman Earl Pomeroy (D-ND).

There are over 8 million children currently attending rural schools. In addition, half of all public schools in the United States are located in rural communities.

The goal of this bipartisan caucus is to help Members of Congress more effectively address the educational needs of rural students, schools, and communities. The caucus will host briefings, lobby for legislation, and make sure the needs of rural schools are heard loud and clear. The group currently has 15 members including Congressman Bill Foster (D-Geneva) and Congressman Aaron Schock (R-Peoria).

The upcoming reauthorization of No Child Left Behind will also provide an opportunity for the caucus to examine the hurdles rural school districts face in implementing this law. Specific challenges include meeting student proficiency goals and teacher qualification requirements with limited resources.

"When it comes to our recent education policy, rural schools have been at best forgotten and at worst neglected," Hare said. "The formation of this caucus will help bring needed attention to the unique challenges faced by our students, parents, teachers, and administrators in rural communities."

"Rural schools face unique challenges in providing our children with a quality education," Graves said. "The Rural Education Caucus will give a louder voice to rural educators and provide a bipartisan forum to talk about solutions."

"In this age of rising global competitiveness, a quality education has never been more important for our nation's students, especially those in rural communities," Pomeroy said. "This caucus will help us find ways to ensure that all students receive the quality education they need to be successful."

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