This assessment of American education, carried out at the President's request, comes on the fifth anniversary of "A Nation at Risk," the landmark 1983 study of the National Commission on Excellence in Education. In this report, the Secretary of Education evaluates the progress of education reform during the last five years and sets forth…

The educational reform movement, rural economy, and demographics of rural areas of the United States require, if not mandate, that partnerships be forged in education among and between people in rural areas, urban and suburban areas, states, and the nation to provide quality education for students who will become the leaders of tomorrow. Through…