Is ‘brain drain’ inaccurate? New study reveals reality of ‘rural return’...

Thanks to slews of media reports, academic studies and political speeches about the ills of Appalachia, we’ve all heard of what is supposedly one of our region’s more insidious ills: “brain drain.” It’s the idea that all of Appalachia’s “best and brightest” young people spend their entire lives itching to leave the region, and when they finally get the chance, they leave and never return. In the long list of reasons given for why Central Appalachia is lagging behind the rest of the country, “brain drain” is almost always mentioned near the top. Folks have believed in the “brain drain” theory for decades. In fact, if you were to sit in on any given meeting about how we transition Appalachia’s economy into the future, mitigating “brain drain” will almost assuredly be mentioned. But new research published this month in the American Educational Research Journal (and reported on by our friends at the Daily Yonder) suggests what we’ve seen evidence of for that last several years – “brain drain” is not really happening in the way most everyone suspects: The study . . . reveals that high-achieving high school students are not necessarily more likely to leave a rural community than students who aren’t as interested in academics. And of those students who do leave, high-achievers are more likely to indicate a desire to return. This desire to return home is linked to high-achievers’ stronger feelings of community engagement and connection. Some of the study’s other key findings include: Young men...

One reporter gives good, comprehensive report about Appalachian Transition...

There has been some relatively dire (and somewhat bias) reporting about Appalachia coming from the national media lately. But at least one news outlet is looking at a more broad and complete picture of the region – a picture that showcases the outstanding transition work happening all over eastern Kentucky. Yes! Magazine’s Laura Flanders actually a few days in the region to get to the bottom of what our economic transition is all about, concluding that if we can successfully transition our economy in the region, any other region facing similar challenges can do it, too. She establishes Appalachia as the bellwether for the rest of the country, and uses historical context to show how we got into the situation we’re currently in, and what needs to change in order for us to move forward by talking with a few experts. “It’s a lesson for the whole country,” said (Appalachian scholar and activist Helen) Lewis this June. “It’s not just us, a bunch of hillbillies. It’s very much a part of what’s happening all over. The questions here are the questions everywhere: Who owns the place? Where do the profits go? What can people do? Who has control?” “The issues we face in Appalachia are the issues we face as a globe,” agrees Justin Maxson of MACED, the Berea, Ky.-based Mountain Association of Community Economic Development. It’s true politically and also in terms of energy: “If we can move past fossil fuels here [in the heart of coal country] that...