New Books Network Educated Out: How Rural Students Navigate Elite Colleges—And What It Costs Them
Feb 5, 2026
Dr. Mara Casey Tieken, an education professor at Bates College who researches rural schooling, discusses how geography shapes rural first-generation students' experiences at elite colleges. She explores barriers in rural schools, students' struggles with belonging and identity, the nonfinancial costs of attending elite institutions, and policy ideas to keep opportunity close to home.
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Education Depends On Place
- Education quality and opportunities shift dramatically with place and shape students' futures.
- Mara Casey Tieken noticed these place-based differences from childhood moves and student teaching in rural schools.
Student Teaching Sparked The Question
- Mara recounts student teaching in a rural Vermont school where college-focused coursework centered on urban education.
- That disconnect drove her to study why rural schools and students get overlooked.
Rural First-Gen Students Are Rare On Campus
- Very few rural first-generation students attend elite colleges and administrators often overestimate their numbers.
- Tieken found only six eligible students one year and three opted into her study, revealing rarity and administrative blind spots.
