| Approximately 1 out of every 6 students attends school in a rural community. Thus, rural students represent a significant population that is affected by decisions made by educators and policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels. Like all education leaders, rural educators need sound guidance in order to improve education outcomes for all of their students. However, relatively little high-quality research has been conducted about rural education issues over the past two decades. McREL has identified a research agenda that connects the challenges that schools face in implementing NCLB’s provisions with the persistent issues that have plagued rural schools for decades. The research agenda crafted by McREL includes nine priority topics: - Opportunity to learn
- School size and student achievement
- Teacher quality
- Administrator quality
- School and district capacity
- School finance
- Local control and alternative organizational structures
- School choice
- Community and parent aspirations and expectations
This research agenda connects the challenges that rural schools face in implementing the No Child Left Behind Act's provisions with the persistent issues that rural schools have dealt with for decades. | 
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