Max Baucus: “in 1865, Horace Greeley wrote in the New York Tribune, ``Go West, young man, and grow up with the country.'' For…”

“in 1865, Horace Greeley wrote in the New York Tribune, ``Go West, young man, and grow up with the country.'' For decades, Greeley's words captured the imagination of a country, and millions of families flocked to the West for a glimpse of the American dream. Rural America continues to thrive, and places like my home State of Montana offer an excellent place to raise a family. But there is a no question that rural and frontier America present unique circumstances that differ substantially from our more urban neighbors. While rural education is becoming an increasingly large and important part of the U.S. public school system, the unique challenges and opportunities within rural communities are often misunderstood or overlooked. According to the Digest of Education Statistics reported annually by the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of students attending rural schools increased by over 11 percent, from 10.5 million in 2004 to nearly 11.7 million by 2008. Rural students now comprise almost one fourth of the Nation's public school enrollment. And nearly one-third of all schools in the nation are located in rural areas. Yet despite the significant percentage enrolled in rural schools, the importance of rural education is often obscured by the fact that rural students are--naturally--widely-dispersed, located in small, geographically isolated school districts.…”