Critical Issues in Rural Education, Position Paper I: 'No Child Left Behind'

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.)