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¶ … Mitchem, Katherine, Katie Kossar & Barbara L. Ludlow. (2006, Summer). Finite resources, increasing demands: Rural children left behind? Educators speak out on issues facing rural special education. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 25 (3): 13.

While the challenges facing urban educators are often debated amongst educational professionals and politicians, the needs of underserved children in rural areas are often just as great -- and pressing. The impact of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) upon special education and how the goals of Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) should be incorporated into the era of high-stakes testing remain controversial across the nation. Some educators have praised NCLB for holding teachers and schools accountable. Even when schools cannot hold special education students to the same standards as mainstream students, it is mandated that special education students must be taught by highly qualified teachers (HQT) with special education content-based expertise. NCLB further mandates that schools must be held accountable for promoting adequate yearly progress (AYP) for students classified as having special needs.

Yet rural schools usually have fewer financial resources, are smaller in size, and are located in remote locations, reducing access to special needs professionals. According to the article "Finite resources, increasing demands: Rural children left behind? Educators speak out on issues facing rural special education" from the Rural Special Education Quarterly, to meet NCLB standards often requires rural schools to perform educational 'triage,' focusing only on students at the cusp of passing rates, which results in short-changing lower-performing and minimally-passing students, contrary to the ideals articulated in IDEA. The article chronicles the results of a study of a national survey of educational professionals in rural areas of the effects of NCLB. All educators expressed concerns that 'teaching to the test' took time away from teaching more necessary, functional skills to special needs students. Some feared the need for teachers to have multiple certifications to be considered highly qualified may prove nearly impossible for many school districts. As the demand for special education teachers increases, many specialists will be drawn to more wealthy school districts that offer higher salaries and more resources for teachers. While it is true that many of the respondents praised the accountability aspect of NCLB, its effects upon the actual quality of education of special needs students is more ambiguous.