When enrollment fluctuates, dual-age classes are an effective means of maintaining a reasonable student/teacher ratio. Teachers must have experience, flexibility, and creativity; and students selected must be able to work both cooperatively and independently. Chronological ages and achievement ranges are usually narrower than in "straight"…

Across the country, states are pushing to close their small rural schools with the mistaken hope of saving money, in spite of overwhelming evidence that smaller schools are beneficial for students, and that they frequently function as the glue that binds together small communities, serving as their economic and social hub. The battle is even more…