NCLB and Rural Schools Across the country, states are concentrating efforts to meet the requirements and the spirit of No Child Left Behind. 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. The Rural School and Community Trust - Lorna Jimerson, Ed.D, 10/22/2003