Dive Brief:

• The 4,000-acre Alvin C. York Agricultural Institute public high school in Jamestown, TN, is tackling poverty, a lack of jobs, and the geographic isolation of its rural student population by partnering with local businesses and providing agricultural training to help students who want to remain in the area find careers nearby. 
• York traditionally provided students with tuition-free undergraduate college coursework through a partnership with Tennessee's Roane State Community College and a private benefactor, but since that donor's death, the school now foots 2/3 of tuition.
• Another vocational opportunity provided by York is making sure that students interested in health sciences graduate prepared to take the Certified Nursing Assistant exam, enabling them to immediately enter the workforce.

Dive Insight:

Can a school like York actually improve the quality of life for their students? The school's test scores are reported to be on par or just above nearby schools serving wealthier student populations. The school was founded by World War I veteran Alvin C. York to "prove Tennessee’s rural youth could accomplish anything given a proper education," the Atlantic reports.

Despite the pains taken to ensure diverse forms of college and career readiness, technology is still a hurdle at the rural school. Right now, York's servers are a decade old, and students are waiting for a batch of 300 Chromebooks promised by the administration. Superintendent and York alum Phil Brannon has calculated that "the school spends almost $80,000 a year on textbooks, but e-books are a third that cost," the Atlantic reports. Technology could certainly help York stay relevant and help students engage with peers. 

Money is an issue. Six years ago, York was "turned over" to the county to fund, and it's been a struggle. Without ongoing sizeable private donations like those that had previously been supplied by the school's now-deceased benefactor, it's not clear how sustainable the school's programs actually are.