Journal of Sociological Research ISSN 1948-5468 2013, Vol. 4, No.1 www.macrothink.org/jsr 195 Struggling to Read: Not Just an Urban Problem Evan Ortlieb, Ph.D. Faculty of Education, Monash University, McMahons Road, Building A Frankston, Victoria 3199 Australia E-mail: evan.ortlieb@monash.edu Accepted: Feb 07, 2013 Published: March 03, 2013 Doi:10.5296/jsr.v4i1.2046 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/jsr.v4i1.2046 Abstract Numerous investigations into urban schools have led towards some determinations regarding what practices/programs are effective; however, modest inquiry into the rural sector of education at all levels has hampered pursuits towards providing students with maximal learning opportunities. How can school board members guide their principals and classroom teachers without basing their instructional programs on research conducted in their own geographic communities? Classroom practitioners know that students come to school with a range of previous experiences and prior knowledge; yet, statewide and national requirements fail to take these notions into consideration. An investigation into particular geographic areas provides relevant information regarding the similarities and differences in how rural and urban schools function to educate their youth. Keywords: Rural Education, School, Geography, Urban, Instruction 1. Introduction Substantial amounts of research have revealed that many inner-city/urban elementary school students struggle in school, particularly in learning to read (Flood & Anders, 2005; Flint & Cooter, Jr., 2005; Mason & Schumm, 2003; Kagan, 2004; Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998); however, the scope of reading problems is more widespread than just inner city schools. “Rural children and youth represent a substantial minority of U.S. students, yet the unique educational needs of rural communities have been largely ignored by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE),” (Arnold, 2005, p. 1). Rural schools are not as often subject to research, even though nearly one-fifth of all students attend rural schools in the United States, according to Why Rural Matters 2005: The Continuing Need for Every State to Take Action on Rural Education. A discussion will follow that addresses the factors related to childhood reading problems to determine what types of reading programs are appropriate for urban and rural areas. Since the terms rural and urban have varying definitions within particular contexts, the