The National Center for Research on Rural Education kicked off its 2011 Advances and Opportunities in Rural Education Research Speaker Series with a visit from Dr. Louis Cicchinelli, executive vice president of Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL).

Cicchinelli's presentation, "Rural Schooling: Necessity is the Mother of Innovation," took place Jan. 24, 2011, in the Heritage Room of the Nebraska Union.

Cicchinelli discussed the challenges facing rural administrators and teachers as they provide learning opportunities for the nearly 20 percent of U.S. students attending schools in rural communities. He also reviewed the rural education literature and examined how rural schools offer unique perspectives relevant to the entire K-12 educational system. The presentation highlighted the importance of replicating what is known, confirming what is suspected, and exploring the unknown to collectively advance the state of rural education research.