High-Quality Math Instructional Materials Boost Rural Schools

With HQIM, rural schools can better prepare students for college, careers, and life

Rural districts need HQIM to ensure consistent, rigorous learning—both in classrooms and online. However, they often face two major obstacles to adopting HQIM: small size and multigrade classrooms, and the challenge of recruiting and retaining qualified math teachers, writes NSBA's Jinghong Cai.

January 19, 2026

Math achievement is a strong predictor of long-term success, influencing graduation, college, careers, and earnings. Yet rural students frequently lack access to high-quality instructional materials (HQIM), especially rigorous, well-designed math curricula. Effective HQIM are vetted by districts, states, or groups like EdReports (a nonprofit dedicated to improving K-12 curricula) to ensure alignment with standards, build content knowledge, support grade-level learning, provide teacher development, and reflect current research.

Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. students attends a rural school. Rural schools often face limited resources, small staff capacity, and high teacher turnover—challenges that a math teacher from a small district in Illinois said were intensified by the struggles students faced at home.

On the Nation’s Report Card (NAEP), only 27% of rural 12th graders scored proficient or above in math in 2024 — down from 33% in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic played a major role in this decline. Rural students faced greater barriers to learning during school closures and remote instruction, with more than one-third of residents lacking reliable access to the internet. Additionally, rural districts employ fewer teachers, instructional coaches, curriculum specialists, and support staff compared with urban and suburban systems, leaving students with fewer opportunities to recover missed math instruction.

Why rural districts should invest in HQIM for math

Rural students often have fewer opportunities to access rigorous coursework, compared with their urban and suburban peers. The 2024 NAEP results show that only 3% of rural 12th graders were enrolled in International Baccalaureate (IB) Mathematics, compared with 15% in city schools and 10% in suburban schools. Similarly, just 37% of rural students had access to Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science Principles, compared with 58% of city students and 68% of suburban students.

NAEP data also highlight gaps in digital access. While 59% of rural students reported their schools offer online math courses for credit, 41% did not. The pandemic made these disparities more visible: Rural schools that relied primarily on in-person instruction often struggled to deliver grade-level content, unlike schools with experience in hybrid or remote learning. In contrast, several rural districts in Nebraska that had already adopted HQIM before the pandemic were able to maintain continuity of learning during closures and the return to in-person instruction.

Technology can certainly expand access, but HQIM is not about relying on devices alone. A rural school board member in New York noted that overuse of technology can disconnect students from teachers, according to an NSBA survey on HQIM. One reason for this disconnect is the absence of strong instructional materials. As EdReports has found, adopting HQIM remains one of the most effective ways to advance equity in learning.

What HQIM for Math Means: Voices of Rural School Board Members

Rural districts need HQIM to ensure consistent, rigorous learning—both in classrooms and online. In June 2025, NSBA conducted a small survey in which 40% of respondents were rural school board members. When asked how they define HQIM, the most common word was engaging, followed by rigorous, age-appropriate, well-structured, relevant, clear, and direct.

As one New York board member explained, HQIM should be “engaging for students of all ability levels, offering appropriate challenge for all.” Other rural school board members emphasized:

·       HQIM should be evidence-based, supported with teacher training, and updated regularly without politically motivated content. (California)

·       Materials should serve course goals, remain viewpoint-neutral, and avoid unnecessary political influence. (New York)

·       HQIM should include multiple entry points and provide easy access to supplemental resources. (New York)

·       Strong materials should focus on reading, writing, and math, while developing critical thinking to prepare students as independent, well-rounded adults. (New York)

Challenges for Rural Districts in Adopting HQIM

Rural districts face two major obstacles to adopting HQIM. The first is small size and multigrade classrooms. Many rural schools serve fewer than 500 students, with averages as low as 285 in “distant” areas and 165 in “remote” ones. Teachers in these settings must often adapt materials across multiple grade levels, limiting consistency and depth.

The second challenge is recruiting and retaining qualified math teachers. Turnover is especially high in high-poverty rural districts and those serving many students of color, where up to one-third of teachers leave each year. Those who remain often work with outdated or fragmented materials and lack a shared scope and sequence aligned to standards.

As a result, rural students — particularly high schoolers — have fewer opportunities to take advanced math, leaving them less prepared for college and well-paying careers.

Key Questions for Rural Districts to Consider in Selecting HQIM

To address these challenges, rural school leaders should ask three key questions when evaluating HQIM—along with reviewing state guidelines, EdReports ratings, and other evidence:

1.       Do they provide structured, engaging, and personalized learning that helps all students meet rigorous grade-level standards?

2.       Do they balance in-person and online learning, giving students real choices and opportunities to extend learning beyond the classroom?

3.       Do they offer professional development for teachers, including coaching, collaboration, and opportunities to share best practices?

Expanding opportunities for rural students

For rural districts, adopting HQIM is more than selecting a curriculum—it is about expanding opportunities and ensuring equitable access to quality education. Strong math instructional materials help address the challenges of small schools, teacher shortages, and limited advanced coursework. By choosing HQIM that engage all students, balance digital and in-person learning, and support teacher development, rural schools can better prepare students for college, careers, and lifelong success.

Read the previous articles in this series on HQIM:

·       Defining High-Quality Instructional Materials for Math https://www.nsba.org/resources/asbj/asbj-august-2025/august-2025-research-defining-high-quality-instructional-materials-for-math

·       Vetting High-Quality Instructional Math Materials "https://nsba.org/resources/asbj/october-2025-vetting-high-quality-instructional-math-materials"