Improving Rural School Facilities. - book review

School Administrator, June, 2002 by Sandra Lowery

Interim Chair, Department of Secondary Education and Educational Leadership, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas

Acknowledging differences state to state and among school districts within a state, Improving Rural School Facilities: Design, Construction, Finance and Public Support provides a useful overview of facilities in rural school districts.

Edited by Sarah Dewees and Patricia Cahape Hammer, the book addresses construction, renovations and additions; how to build public support for funding a building project; working within local funding resources; and building designs that maximize instruction, energy efficiency and technology use.

Case studies present effective approaches used in a renovation and restoration project, a partnership for creating technology infrastructures and a successful bond campaign. These are especially helpful because they allow the reader to examine successful projects from beginning stages to conclusion.

A discussion of political realities seems particularly relevant. Capital outlay and debt service--traditionally local responsibilities because of little or no state and federal funding--have become more difficult for many rural communities as their populations have dwindled. At the same time, populations have grown in urban and suburban areas, which has contributed to a shift in political influence from rural areas to the fast-growing suburbs.

This book will be useful for administrators and board members in rural communities who face the challenges of providing adequate facilities.

(Improving Rural School Facilities: Design, Construction, Finance and Public Support, edited by Sarah Dewees and Patricia Cahape Hammer. The Rural Education Specialty, Appalachia Educational Laboratory, P.O. Box 1347, Charleston, WV 25325-1348, 2000, 120 pp., $18 softcover)