More than 30 years after the Great Society initiatives, poverty continues to put large numbers of students at risk of school failure. The challenges to education and life success are most severe for children in the nation's poorest rural counties, the 535 rural persistent poverty (RPP) counties. This digest provides background on RPP counties and…

The evolving relationship between cities and urban colleges and universities is traced historically, and the implications of changing roles of the university are considered. The public service role of American higher education institutions has increased for both private and public schools. Attention is directed to the role of faculty,…