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Amargosa Valley School in Nevada could be considered representative of almost any preK–8 school that serves a large proportion of socioeconomically disadvantaged students and is focused on turning around persistently low achievement.

Like other schools supported by federal School Improvement Grants, Amargosa is beginning to implement a reform plan toward what they hope will be dramatic improvement. But as a rural school, Amargosa has particular challenges and strengths that set it apart.

The Journeys Project of WestEd’s national Center on School Turnaround is documenting Amargosa’s story in order to capture lessons of turnaround efforts, from the early stages through implementation.

In Amargosa’s case, the project also highlights issues that may be unique to rural schools. Across the country, rural schools tend to perform on par with urban and suburban schools, but this broad similarity belies significant underlying differences.

Learn more in this free article.