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A few years ago, I was invited to a small Midwestern district to speak with district teachers, counselors, administrators, and staff about “Culture and Teaching.” Upon my arrival to the district office, the superintendent greeted me in the parking lot and rushed me into his vehicle. He explained as he started the car, and began driving that he wanted me to “see” one of the district’s “urban” schools before my presentation.

I did not say much, as I was driven through the stoplights and around the two lane curves. I was perplexed. As I glanced out the window of his car, I pondered: Is this what he classifies as “urban”—I saw no sights that resembled an urban environment at least in terms of the layout or structure of the town. This was not an urban district in my mind; it was a rural one. All the data that I had reviewed before my visit about the town/district also suggested that the district was indeed rural. However, for this …