Kai Schafft's guest appearances

Kai Schafft

Rural Matters

David Reeves

Mitch Landrieu

David Kessler

Liz Carey

Nicole Johnson

Johns Hopkins

Chad Brown

Joe Davis

Paul Campbell

Karen Jackson

Anna Johnson

Cameron Webb

Tom Morris

Francis Collins

John Henderson

OwlTail

John Pender

Mark Partridge

Brock Slabach

In Part I of our six-part series, Living in Rural America — 2022 and Beyond, produced in collaboration with and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Michelle discusses myths and realities of the rural experience today with four experts in this space: John Pender, a senior economist in the Rural Economy Branch of the USDA Economic Research Service; Mark Partridge, Swank Chair of Rural-Urban Policy at Ohio State University; Kai Schafft, professor of  Education and Rural Sociology at Penn State University where he directs the Center on Rural Education and Communities; and Brock Slabach, Chief Operating Officer at the National Rural Health Association. Pender discusses how rural residents and the rural economy are faring during the pandemic compared to metro areas and access to broadband and advanced telecommunication connectivity. Partridge talks about growth patterns, economic policy, federal funding, and technological developments affecting rural areas. Schafft focuses on the rural sociology and the Rural Sociological Society, rural schools and communities, mental health needs, and burnout among superintendent and teachers. Slabach also discusses how the pandemic has dramatically impacted rural health care workforces, population health, and incentives for improving rural health. This episode and the entire six-part series is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. For more information, visit rwj.org

<p>In Part I of our six-part series, Living in Rural America — 2022 and Beyond, produced in collaboration with and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Michelle discusses myths and realities of the rural experience today with four experts in this space: John Pender, a senior economist in the Rural Economy Branch of the USDA Economic Research Service; Mark Partridge, Swank Chair of Rural-Urban Policy at Ohio State University; Kai Schafft, professor of  Education and Rural Sociology at Penn State University where he directs the Center on Rural Education and Communities; and Brock Slabach, Chief Operating Officer at the National Rural Health Association. Pender discusses how rural residents and the rural economy are faring during the pandemic compared to metro areas and access to broadband and advanced telecommunication connectivity. Partridge talks about growth patterns, economic policy, federal funding, and technological developments affecting rural areas. Schafft focuses on the rural sociology and the Rural Sociological Society, rural schools and communities, mental health needs, and burnout among superintendent and teachers. Slabach also discusses how the pandemic has dramatically impacted rural health care workforces, population health, and incentives for improving rural health. This episode and the entire six-part series is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. For more information, visit <a href="http://rwj.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">rwj.org</a></p>

Myths & Realities of Living in Rural America (Part I of RWJF Series) with John Pender, Mark Partridge, Kai Schafft, and Brock Slabach

Our new host, Mara Casey Tieken, author of Why Rural Schools Matter, chats with Kai Schafft, associate professor of education and director of the Center on Rural Education and Communities at Penn State University, and associate editor of the Journal of Research in Rural Education about five specific rural myths. Myth #1: Rural voters are more conservative than urban voters. A close analysis of 2016 election finds a more complex situation, in which many—though not all—rural communities and small towns leaned Republican. Myth # 2: Rural America is “white America.” While there is some truth in that generalization, about 15% of rural America is made up of people of color, and there are four states in which the majority of their rural school districts serve predominantly non-white children. In addition, rural America is rapidly growing more diverse. Myth #3: All rural areas are in economic decline. That’s true for certain areas but definitely not all. Myth #4: Rural places are all the same. There’s no truth to this myth, according to Schafft, which leads to an overgeneralization of who rural people are and what rural areas actually look like. Myth #5: Rural is the opposite of urban. While there are fundamental differences, Schafft notes, rural diversity complicates this comparison. The reality is that we live in an interconnected, global world, not in “self-contained” communities.

<p>Our new host, Mara Casey Tieken, author of Why Rural Schools Matter, chats with Kai Schafft, associate professor of education and director of the Center on Rural Education and Communities at Penn State University, and associate editor of the Journal of Research in Rural Education about five specific rural myths. Myth #1: Rural voters are more conservative than urban voters. A close analysis of 2016 election finds a more complex situation, in which many—though not all—rural communities and small towns leaned Republican. Myth # 2: Rural America is “white America.” While there is some truth in that generalization, about 15% of rural America is made up of people of color, and there are four states in which the majority of their rural school districts serve predominantly non-white children. In addition, rural America is rapidly growing more diverse. Myth #3: All rural areas are in economic decline. That’s true for certain areas but definitely not all. Myth #4: Rural places are all the same. There’s no truth to this myth, according to Schafft, which leads to an overgeneralization of who rural people are and what rural areas actually look like. Myth #5: Rural is the opposite of urban. While there are fundamental differences, Schafft notes, rural diversity complicates this comparison. The reality is that we live in an interconnected, global world, not in “self-contained” communities.</p>

Rural Myths with Kai Schafft