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Across the country, states are concentrating efforts to meet the requirements and the spirit of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The implementation provisions and timelines are demanding and challenging for all districts. NCLB is particularly daunting, however, for rural and small districts. This paper outlines the characteristics of rural schools and districts that create special problems in implementing the legislation and summarizes the major challenges of the NCLB for these districts. Characteristics of Rural Schools and Districts The following characteristics of rural and small schools make implementing NCLB particularly problematic. 1. Rural schools and districts tend to be small. Thus the number of students who take any particular test is small. Low numbers of "testtakers" create special statistical challenges in using state assessment plans to make reliable and valid judgments about academic performance. 2. Rural schools in many locations are poor and often have large concentrations of minority children. Traditionally, students from poor families and communities do not perform as well academically as those from advantaged backgrounds. Poor minority students are especially vulnerable to this "achievement gap." Helping these students achieve "adequate yearly progress" (AYP) targets and reaching 100% proficiency within 12 years will be difficult. 3. Many rural districts are in financial distress. Since complying with NCLB will require additional financial investment, poor rural districts are at a disadvantage. Most states are struggling with decreased revenues and financially troubled education budgets. Rural schools, however, have other financial woes in addition. In many states, the funding formulas are inadequate and/or inequitable and small rural districts often suffer. Rural districts, in general, offer lower salaries than suburban and urban districts. Competing for the most qualified teachers, therefore, becomes difficult. Also rural facilities are in poor condition, which puts another level of financial strain on rural school budgets. In addition, in some rural places, decreasing enrollment has siphoned off per-pupil state aid, placing more burden on local communities. 4. Rural schools in many states are situated in remote areas. This physical distance creates problems in attracting new educators, in retaining educators, in meeting the NCLB requirements for providing school choice and supplemental services, and in offering high quality professional development for faculty. Accessibility is a big problem. 5. There is a strong tradition of local control in many rural areas. Though local control depends on each state's unique governance system, for many rural communities, local schools are community-centering institutions and local governance is an ingrained part of the culture. These are places where rural communities have strong connections with local schools and local decision-making is highly valued. NCLB's prescriptive nature, however, makes local control illusive. 6. Many rural areas are experiencing depopulation and declining enrollment. Rural areas losing population to out-migration are losing the younger, better-educated, and more upwardly mobile people. Those left behind are often a challenging population of older, poorer people with less education. 7. Other rural areas are experiencing rapid population increases and rapid ethnic diversification. Many rural communities are witnessing large numbers of new residents, often with very diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds. This has put new stresses on rural schools as they must accommodate both the challenges of rapid population growth and educating students with limited English proficiency for the first time. Some of these characteristics are shared with many urban and some suburban districts. The significant challenges of poverty, of course, are not confined to rural areas. However, the convergence of these problems with the more unique rural characteristics causes additional burdens for rural districts. …

Special Challenges of the “No Child Left Behind” Act for Rural Schools and Districts