Rural school districts face unique challenges in cultivating a teaching force that possesses subject-matter expertise, a willingness to undertake difficult professional work at the local level, and attentiveness to rural practices and cultures. At the same time, many rural schools harbor significant strengths that districts might draw upon to…

This report constitutes the first part of the project undertaken by the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) and AEL, to investigate strategies for the recruitment and retention of teachers in rural schools. The "highly qualified teacher" requirement of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has spotlighted the urgency and…

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…