Rural high school graduates fare no better or worse than city kids when they go on to university. The majority from both groups see their marks drop.
Saskatchewan teacher Cameron Milner outlined his findings comparing the relationship between Grade 12 and first-year university marks from 9,000 students in the province from 1989 to 1993.
In a presentation at Saskatoon’s recent National Congress on Rural Education, Milner said university students in the sciences saw their marks drop 20 to 22 percent, while those in the humanities such as English and psychology experienced a 12 to 14 percent dip.
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When he compared the size of their communities, he found basically no difference.
“There’s a lot of good teaching out there. What’s more important is the nature of the individual school itself – not whether it is rural or urban,” Milner told the audience of teachers, school administrators and school board trustees.
What also makes a difference is the individual student in terms of motivation and willingness to work harder.
In fact, Milner said, rural students may have an advantage over city kids because of the smaller size of their schools. Rural students have less competition academically so they have stronger egos about their ability. Also, they have more access and opportunities to join sports teams, drama groups or be student leaders. And, Milner said, they are more used to approaching their teachers for ideas and assistance.
