No public school can ignore the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The education law is changing the face of federal involvement in K-12 education nationwide as schools are measured for "adequate yearly progress" and teachers by their "highly qualified" status. But rural schools face particular challenges to fulfilling NCLB's goals based on their small size, difficulty in recruiting and retaining teachers, and scarcity of resources. The Rural Trust believes in the theory behind NCLB--all children achieving at high levels--but believes also that goals must be realistic, schools must be adequately funded, and progress must be measured by more than standardized test scores.