Early in 2018, area middle schools began learning about a new project—a project designed to improve literacy among middle school students. Representatives from the Niswonger Foundation began detailed conversations with representatives from school systems about a new federally-funded project named Rural Literacy Initiative Focused on Effectiveness, or Rural LIFE.

We believe Rural LIFE was selected from the hundreds of applicants in the 2017 Education Innovation and Research (EIR) competition because of a few key factors. First, our proposal built on recommendations for sustainability and expansion of a previous federal grant project in area high schools. A strong recommendation was that academic improvements in middle schools were necessary to drive high school success.

Second, our proposal pointed out that middle grades were dramatically overlooked in school reform efforts. While there was considerable discussion about early grades and high school reforms, very few efforts had been made to support the teaching/learning process “in the middle.” Third, we focused on personalization. Middle school students vary considerably in terms of their academic preparation, interests, and aspirations. Similarly, middle grade schools vary considerably in terms of their grade structures, staffing patterns, and so on. So, Rural LIFE consistently supported efforts to personalize.

As we look back on our last five years, we see circumstances and changes few could have predicted. We have seen the effects of a pandemic and a time of significant reorganization of middle grade schools in several districts. We hope and believe that the Rural LIFE project, with our flexible strategies and personalized support, helped our schools and students through these turbulent times. We appreciate the support and cooperative efforts of all those involved in this exciting project.