In December 2014, the National Center for Education Research (NCER) in the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education convened a technical working group (TWG) of experts in the field of rural education to provide input on research needs in this field and how research could be more relevant and useful to rural communities. Ten rural education experts were invited to attend, including individuals working in the K–12 system, national associations, universities, and research organizations. The TWG discussion focused on four broad areas: (1) current issues in rural education research, (2) overview of prior large-scale IES investments in rural education research, (3) challenges and priorities, and (4) synthesis and next steps. This meeting summary covers all of the discussion points of the technical working group and includes both presentations and discussions among participants.
