There has been a well-documented divide between urban and rural areas in terms of health outcomes in recent years, with this divide largely caused by a lack of resources to adequately meet the needs of rural communities.

This is illustrated by a recent study from the University of Maine, which shows that rural schools struggle to meet the mental needs of students due to a lack of institutional support and resources in general.

Broad needs

The researcher highlights that across the world there is an often contrasting need to meet educational targets while also supporting the emotional needs of students. They explain that in rural communities, these contrasting needs can be exacerbated by the declining economic well-being and distant social service networks in the area.

The researchers analyzed a group of educators from 12 rural schools across Maine to understand the relationship between the school and the community, the teacher-student relationships, and the strengths and challenges involved in supporting students learning and health. The study was framed through the lens of critical rural theory, which highlights how the purpose, activities and effects of education; the role of schools as institutions in a community; and the implicit assumptions in institutional and policy logics differ for nonurban areas.

“Critical rural theory helps to highlight the ways in which our current educational system was not designed with rural schools in mind. Funding that relies on district capacity to write grants, narrowly defined credentials that ignore the many hats rural teachers must wear, and inadequate teacher support systems for those in our most remote schools are all examples of spatial inequities in education,” the author explains.

Increasing pressure

The research reveals the increasing pressure teachers face to obtain high grades for students, often with insufficient financial resources and minimal institutional attention on things like mental health and stress. This was despite many students struggling to achieve their best results because of stress and anxiety caused by things like economic insecurity and personal adversity.

There is also often a lack of training among staff on how to address these issues, and teachers reported feeling concerned that without this they could make matters worse. They would nonetheless often engage in acts outside of their normal job to try and help, even if only in a small way.

“I think one of the most surprising findings was how conflicted teachers felt about mandated reporting,” the researcher explains. “Clearly, more research is needed here to understand why some rural educators may not want to report and how the dynamics of mandated reporting play out in small communities.”

The teachers in the study couldn’t agree on exactly what changes are needed to help them better address their students increased emotional needs, but their responses clustered around three key themes: adequate resources to achieve the high expectations laid out by the state; a broad base of community supports for families; and, finally, a model of teaching and learning that recognizes humanity.

“Teachers were clear: school is about so much more than achievement for young people,” the author concludes. “Children and youth need to feel that they are appreciated as people by the adults around them, that they need adequate mental health supports, and that our current staffing solutions are not meeting those needs.”