The federal Institute of Education Sciences has announced a five-year grant to MDRC and several institutions to develop a National Education Research and Development Center for Improving Rural Postsecondary Education. The new center will assess strategies for improving rates of postsecondary enrollment and success for students from rural communities across the United States.

Both college-going and college completion rates are far lower in rural communities than in other geographical settings, even as rural high school graduation rates are equal to or higher than urban and suburban rates. The disparity between rural students' high school achievement and their subsequent postsecondary attainment represents the most significant leak in the rural education pipeline.

The center will accomplish its mission through research conducted using nationally representative data collected by the National Center for Education Statistics, collaborations with state-level higher education agencies, and research projects spanning 10 states and 25 colleges and universities, with practitioner and researcher advisors representing a total of 21 states across the country.

In addition to its research activities, the center will engage with national and regional higher education associations to disseminate the results of its research broadly, build the capacity of researchers and rural-serving institutions to conduct research, and support practitioners and early career researchers seeking to improve postsecondary outcomes for rural students.