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The Case For Appalachian Studies
page 7

The role of the school in mountain communities is inherently a political one, given the nature of mountain politics and life.  Since the earliest days of settlement, only a very small percentage of mountain-born Americans have ever been able to finish secondary school, and an even smaller number have entered college.  In Appalachia, as is true in the rest of the country, it is usually the children of those already affluent or educated who succeed in finishing school.  Many of these formally educated mountaineers leave the region, preferring jobs elsewhere.  Of those who do return home, many do so out of family ties, loyalties, or because of job security.
But there is another factor operating here.  In most places in America there is a choice of jobs for college graduates, either in business or governmental social services.  But in Appalachia, especially in economically depressed areas, the school system is often one of the largest stable employers in a county.  Thus, the school system very quickly becomes a focal point for patronage since the school board and superintendent are usually elected officials.  In practice, this means that the only people able to hold jobs in schools are those with family ties or political loyalties to politicians already in power.
The result is politically controlled education, and, in turn, an attitude of compliance and a general unwillingness by educated people to criticize or question commonly accepted practices.  It goes, almost without saying, that in such situations innovative or experimental educational practices are discouraged or halted.  When this attitude is coupled with the differences in lifestyles, class and religion of most college graduates compared to community residents (even though the teachers may be natives),  it is understandable that most of the community views the general school system with distrust and suspicion. 
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