The Impact of School Culture on Student Achievement in Rural Education

The school's climate, also called organizational health, is called the school's atmosphere, culture, resources, and social network (Collie, Shapka, & Perry, 2011). There are three aspects of the school's atmosphere: the relationship between the members of the organization, the self-development of the members, and the maintenance and modification of the organization (Collie, Shapka, & Perry, 2011). When considering the relationship between the members of the organization, you must consider all the relationships that make up the school environment.

In recent educational research, the difference in performance between rural and urban areas is being investigated. Many educators, researchers, legislators, and civilians think that rural school pupils are generally less educated than urban-living students. Many of the students who live in rural areas have lower academic performance than urban students. There are many factors that contribute to the gap between rural students and urban students. There are far more students in urban schools than rural schools. The National Education Association states that poorly performing young people are in public rural schools (Brown & Swanson, 2001).

Academic performance affects the concept of school education programs. Rural schools are superior to urban schools in two respects: test score and dropout rate. First, the grade of elementary school students is about the same as or better than that of university students. Furthermore, in the assessment of the nationwide educational progress in 2005, students in the 4th and 8th graders scored similarly in reading, science, and mathematics. During high school, students (usually in grade 11) can take one or more standard tests, based on post-secondary education preferences and local graduation requirements. In theory, these tests can evaluate the student's overall knowledge level and learning ability. SAT and ACT are the most commonly used standard tests for students entering university. Students can participate in SAT, ACT, or both, depending on the higher education institution that is planning to apply.