The requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) have presented special challenges and opportunities for rural schools (Reeves, 2003). Researchers have suggested that one way rural schools may be able to overcome these challenges is through an increase in the level of technology integration in their school (Collins & Dewees,…

No Child Left Behind requires that all teachers have a degree in every subject they teach or pass an exam that proves they are "highly qualified" to teach that subject. A story from one Montana town demonstrates how the law is unrealistic for rural and small schools where one teacher may teach many subjects and where teachers are already…

Describes challenges rural school districts meet in recruiting young, talented teachers, particularly those facing tough new federal standards for hiring teachers in Title I schools. Describes how some school districts are meeting the challenge through emphasizing the benefits of rural schools, identifying and assisting high school students with…

Students in Mr. Shaw's classes used to be free to discover the joy of reading books of their own choosing. But that kind of spontaneity is vanishing under No Child Left Behind. This article describes the classroom library Mr. Shaw has built throughout the years and the joy it has brought to his students and their learning.

Since 1988, more than half of all states have passed laws that allow state authorities to take control of local school districts under certain circumstances. As of 2004, 54 cases of state takeovers had been reported nationwide--most of them in urban and rural districts. The most commonly cited causes are financial and management problems; academic…

Critics of "No Child Left Behind" judge that it oversimplifies the influence of social context and the place of socially ascribed traits, such as social class, race, and gender, in determining achievement. We hold that this is especially likely to be true with regard to gender-related group effects and gender-implicated interaction…

The Department of Education's announcement of new leeway in meeting federal teacher-quality demands was praised as welcome relief by many education leaders. But others, including two pivotal congressional Democrats, charged that the action would lower expectations for teachers in rural communities. Facing widespread complaints about the…

This study focuses on flexibility provisions in the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) provision of NCLB. Specifically, it addresses REAP Flex, a program that allows rural districts additional control over how to spend portions of their federal funding. REAP Flex is part of a series of NCLB flexibility initiatives aimed at rural schools.…

In recent years, the majority of new immigrants to the United States have settled in rural areas, creating unique challenges for special education administrators. In this article, we discuss the details of the challenges to rural schools in meeting the requirements of the federal mandates, especially No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act passed in 2001…

A long-standing problem for rural school districts is recruiting and retaining quality teachers for their classrooms. The lack of resources, low salary and incentives, and personal and professional isolation are some reasons why fewer good teachers choose to work in rural schools. In order to address the challenges facing rural schools, states and…

Teacher quality is one of the most important predictors of a child's academic achievement, but schools in Indiana and across the nation are struggling to employ a full cadre of teachers who are qualified to instruct the subjects they are teaching. This policy brief explores the factors and circumstances behind the national struggle to meet the…

Because of No Child Left Behind and the pressure of high stakes testing, many school districts are looking for ways to raise test scores and gain or maintain adequate yearly progress. A successful after-school math tutoring program, a partnership between a rural school district and the local university, is summarized in this article. Keys to this…

Research in integrated learning systems has demonstrated a need for rigorous studies that identify how such systems influence learning, and in particular that of low achieving students. No Child Left Behind legislation mandated evidence-based interventions as the standard for instructional approaches in American public schools. This…

Five articles about education service agencies (ESAs) serving rural schools yield five insights. Many rural systems owe their existence to ESA support. ESAs provide critical technology support. States should encourage school district collaboration. Inclusion of postsecondary institutional representatives in ESAs is an important step towards a…

The No Child Left Behind Act requires all teachers to be highly qualified by 2005-06. Accomplishing this will require statewide collaboration among higher education, school districts, certification boards, and departments of education. Data from recent studies of teacher recruitment, retention, and professional development in Wyoming illustrate…