Editor's note: Rural Assembly, a program of the Center for Rural Strategies, which also publishes the Daily Yonder, conducted these focus groups with Generation Citizen and Making Caring Common.
Rural educators are exploring ways to bring productive discussion and dialogue about social issues like LGBTQ+ rights, women's rights, and racial inequality into the classroom, but challenges with community dynamics and district policies stand in the way, according to recent focus groups conducted by the Rural Assembly in partnership with Generation Citizen and Making Caring Common.
Survey findings collected from nine rural educators from across the country provide a sample of rural educators’ experiences and can help inform how rural school teachers and administrators, community members and stakeholders, education researchers, and rural families address social issues in the classroom.
Additional focus groups conducted by partner organizations included rural areas, with the Rural Assembly focusing specifically on the experiences of rural educators.
“We wanted to know what types of social issues came up most frequently,” said Taneumu Fotheringill, director of programs and partnerships at Rural Assembly. “Some of the most common experiences we heard about involved students' exploration of gender and pronouns, and displaying posters and items that expressed related values.”
In focus groups, many rural educators said they strive to incorporate social issues into their lessons through reading, assignments and projects, and class discussions. Many felt this information was important for students to learn empathy and fairness, to make connections to personal experiences, and to learn to respect diverse perspectives.
Educators spoke of feeling trust and closeness in their relationships with families and community members, but some acknowledged that these relationships can create their own challenges.
For example, when parents or community members have concerns about a topic covered in class, the controversy can quickly begin to affect a small-town teacher's reputation, negatively impacting not only his or her professional life but also his or her personal life.
Other teachers reported the opposite effect: “The good thing about a small school district is that most of the kids have grown up together,” one participant said. “Any conflict with parents dissipates really quickly.”
These conversations highlighted “the critical need for educators to feel they have the resources and support to address issues that often discourage or prevent them from engaging,” Fotheringill said.
These local focus groups came on the heels of a national movement to ban diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts at higher education institutions across the country. Since 2023, states have introduced 85 different bills, including banning DEI offices and staff, banning diversity training, eliminating diversity statements, and banning affirmative action in admissions and hiring. Public schools in at least 18 states also face restrictions on instruction on race, gender, and other related topics.
As higher education institutions respond with attempts to reframe their DEI efforts, EducationWeek reported that K-12 schools are also “evolving toward a more general emphasis on belonging for all” to address the politicization of DEI terminology.
“Whether planned or not, students will bring important issues and problems into the classroom,” Fotheringill said. “It's important for young people to have trusted adults they can talk to about these things, both at home and elsewhere in the community, like school.”
Fotheringill said creating a framework for teachers to have these conversations will not only support teachers and students, but also parents and the community at large.
These rural focus groups were conducted to highlight rural-specific needs in a free educator toolkit distributed by Rural Assembly, Generation Citizen, and Making Caring Common, and supported by New Pluralists.
Rural educators value neutrality and structural support
Prioritizing neutrality was a common goal among participants. At times, the complexity of social issues or the intensity of the controversy made it difficult for some educators to discuss certain social issues. Some educators felt prepared to remain neutral and maintain respect in order to facilitate the conversation, and stated that they encourage students to express their opinions without fear of judgment or persuasion.
“I don't try to force my students to believe what I believe, politically or religiously,” one participant said. “The biggest thing I try to impart to my students is to respect others and understand that we're all different.”
Educators reported a variety of successful ways to incorporate social issues into the classroom, including art projects, guest lecturers, integrated history lessons, and diverse reading materials.
One teacher played his students a 10-minute news program, sparking a class discussion about “issues happening around the world.” [the] Students may not be able to experience it for themselves.”
Other educators hold formal debates in their classrooms. “We try to maintain the context of the debate,” they say. “We follow all the rules that come to mind when you think of a debate.”
Participants noted that these social discussions do not typically occur naturally among students during class time and emphasized the importance of structured facilitation to encourage productive discussions.
The focus groups found that another challenge facing rural educators is the complex web of relationships between educators, parents, students and administrators, which educators must act as bridges between. Participants noted this is especially difficult in conservative and predominantly white communities.
“Building bridges block by block, [experiencing] Burning [being] “The pay is too low,” one educator said. [teachers] I would like to continue this effort in the future.”
Participants stated that this communication network has been beneficial in learning about the types of social issues that affect students and community members, but that community concerns and misconceptions can be obstacles to promoting inclusion and equity in the classroom.
Teachers advocated for structural changes within their districts to overcome challenges with classroom discussions and community engagement.
“As teachers, we have to defend our views a little bit,” one participant said, “but as colleagues, why don’t we have more of these difficult conversations?”
What was unexpected was that focus group participants reported feeling a greater sense of belonging and connection after speaking with rural teachers in other states, said Fotheringill, who facilitated one of the groups.
“Even though we discussed some very difficult topics and dynamics, I felt that the educators in attendance left feeling a little more supported than when they participated in the focus groups,” she said.
Some educators said their districts are implementing school-wide initiatives, such as reading programs, that foster productive conversations in classrooms and communities.
Some reported policy constraints that made it more difficult to discuss certain topics, such as politics or LGBTQ+ issues.
“I want everyone, from the administration to the teachers to the students, to acknowledge that social issues exist in our community,” one educator said.
Despite these challenges, educators said they remain optimistic and determined to continue building bridges and starting dialogues in their schools and communities.