Building knowledge through timely, multidisciplinary, and high quality research

In consultation with its advisory committee, scholars, practitioners, and the State of NY, the Center will examine issues important to the communities they serve. This research will be stimulated through two mechanisms:

• Request for research proposals will be developed and funded by the Center.
• The Center will assist scholars in their pursuit of external funding (e.g., foundation, federal) through consultation, letters of support, and access to schools and data.

Areas of Focus by the Center:

• Reorganization/Consolidation (primer, CaRDI Minute & brief)
• Enrollment and Demographic Change (maps, data trends, and tables)
• Brain Gain/Drain (Dietz, 2007 brief)
• Community-School Relations (CaRDI brief)
• Finance and Planning - beta tools now available! visit
• School-Based Healthcare (brief, lecture)
• STEM Issues (lecture forthcoming!)
• Early Care and Education and Universal Pre-K*
  Capacity Study | Trend Analysis | Case Study | Recommendations

Additional Resources:

• Lecture Series
• Brookings Series of Studies on Upstate NY
• Community and Rural Development Institute (CaRDI)
  • Research and Policy Brief Series
  • Rural New York Minute

Research on Critical Topics/Problems:

• Dropout Prevention - What works! visit
• Early Childhood Literacy- What works! visit

• What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guides, visit

Current and Ongoing Issues Addressed by the Center
Download Overview Document

• Brain Drain and Brain Gain in the Southern Tier
• Immigration and Rural Enrollment Projections
• Fiscal Crisis and School District Reorganization - brief
• STEM in Rural Schools
• Community Mobilization and Youth Mentoring

*Research undertaken at the request of the Rural Education Advisory Committee (REAC)

Cornell Lecture Series 2009-2010:

School-Based Health Centers: A Paradigm Whose Time has Come.
December 10, 2009 - Dr. Chris Kjolhede (Bassett Health Center/Columbia Univ. School of Medicine)

STEM Issues in Rural Schools: Increasing capacity and expertise.
January 28, 2010 -

Cornell Lecture Series 2008-2009:

Why is Student Engagement such a problem in American Secondary Schools?
November 13, 2008, 4-5pm - John Bishop (ILR, Human Resource Studies)

Community Mentoring and School Success
November 20, 2008, 4-5pm - Mary Agnes & Steve Hamilton (Human Ecology, Human Development)

Exploring the Bases for Promoting Brain Gain in the Southern Tier
December 4, 2008, 4-5pm - David Brown, Max Pfeffer, & Scott Sanders (CALS, Development Sociology)

Impact of ecological factors on school readiness among children in the child welfare system:
A comparison of rural and non-rural populations
December 18, 2008, 4-5pm - Charlie Izzo, Elliot Smith, & Lisa McCabe (Cornell's Family Life Development Center)

Immigrant Incorporation, School Data, and Population Projections:
The Future of Latinos in Upstate New York
February 12, 2009, 4-5pm - Ron Mize (CALS, Development Sociology)

The Brookings Institution: A series of research studies led by Rolf Pendall and Susan Christopherson, City and Regional Planning, Cornell University, on the State of Upstate NY

• Upstate School Reform: The Challenge of Regional Geography
  3/06 - download
• Losing Ground: Income and Poverty in Upstate NY, 1980-2000
  9/04 - download
• Sprawl Without Growth: The Upstate Paradox
  10/03 - download
• Transition and Renewal: The Emergence of a Diverse Upstate Economy
  1/04 - download

Studies conducted by the Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands (REL-NEI)

• Distribution of Highly Qualified Teachers in NYS, download
• How to Reduce Teacher Turnover, download