ERIC Number: ED497050
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2004
Pages: 35
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Critical Issues in Rural Education, Position Paper I: "No Child Left Behind"
National Rural Education Association (NJ1)
Idealistic federal legislation that invokes excellence and fairness, such as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, may actually leave many rural communities behind as rural schools seeking to meet the federal mandates collide with state budget deficits of historical proportion. Drawing on the literature, public opinion polls, and the results of a survey of the executive directors of 24 state affiliates of the National Rural Education Association (NREA), this position paper discusses the most pressing concerns about NCLB's potential effects on rural education to show that NCLB's "cookie cutter" approach to public education is considered unacceptable to many educators and to much of the public. NREA's recommendations for action are: (1) Demonstrate that NREA and state-affiliate organizations advocate a high-quality, standards-based education for all students in rural schools with adequate funding provided equitably and used effectively to support such an education; (2) Identify and promote the qualities of a rural education that help students excel and build strong rural communities; (3) Support a research agenda that reveals how and why rural schools are being successful in the current climate of high stakes accountability; (4) Identify the constraints to the academic and social success of rural students, develop an agenda to overcome them, and move aggressively to accomplish implementation of the agenda at the national policy level, in both the political and educational environments; (5) Establish supportive partnerships with community organizations and groups through signed memorandums of understandings; and (6) Build public awareness of these actions and work to develop a membership base that is active and supportive of their attainment. (Contains 6 tables, 1 figure, and 33 endnotes.)
Descriptors: Position Papers, Federal Legislation, Rural Education, Public Education, Community Organizations, Rural Schools, Educational Legislation, Equal Education, Compliance (Legal), Budgets, Public Opinion, Literature Reviews, Surveys, Educational Quality, Academic Standards, Educational Finance, Educational Equity (Finance), Educational Research, Social Development, Academic Achievement, Partnerships in Education, School Community Relationship
National Rural Education Association. 820 Van Vleet Oval, Room 227, Norman, OK 73019. Tel: 405-325-7959; Fax: 405-325-7959; Web site: http://www.nrea.net/
Publication Type: Opinion Papers
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: Policymakers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: National Rural Education Association, Fort Collins, CO.
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: No Child Left Behind Act 2001
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A