Faced with state and federal mandates to reverse the course of failing rural schools--in some cases, by replacing teachers and principals--districts and researchers say just finding bodies for empty spots is no longer enough. Increasingly, money and attention are turning toward programs that hand-pick promising rural teaching candidates and school…

Howard High School (South Dakota) is part of the Annenberg Rural Challenge, a privately funded national effort to strengthen rural schools and their communities. Rural Challenge schools create curricula specific to community history and resources, aiming to help students become active knowledgeable citizens. Student projects and the positive and…

A member of the Bread Loaf Rural Teacher Network, a national organization of rural teachers interested in school reform, discusses the challenges that rural teachers face in creating criteria for evaluating student performance. Suggests that bringing teachers', students', and parents' voices into a community discussion about how to measure…