How a Rural College Powers K-12 in a Depressed Region

The collapse of the coal industry and the opioid epidemic continue to decimate Kentucky’s Appalachian region, disrupting families and sapping crucial tax dollars from rural schools. At the same time, these cash-strapped district administrators are having to provide more basic services to students, who may show up for class hungry, homeless or in need of health care. In response, Berea College, a 1,600-student liberal arts institution that doesn’t charge tuition, has vastly expanded its K-12 assistance program, Partners for Education, to provide “cradle-to-career” services to Appalachian families in some of the country’s poorest communities.