Recorded live at the National Forum to Advance Rural Education at Ohio State University, this episode features a riveting discussion with Mara Casey Tieken, author of Why Rural Matters, and professor of education at Bates College in Maine. Mara talks about the importance of rural schools, which educate 20 percent of the school children in the United States and are critical to local rural economies. John and Mara discuss the growing importance of school closure policies to rural communities and student achievement; efforts at rural sustainability, including broadband access; the importance of online education; coverage of rural communities by the media; the three myths of rural communities; rural diversity; and the impact of school choice on rural communities and rural education.