Educational attainment in rural America reached a historicheight in 2000, with nearly one

Educational attainment in rural America reached a historic

height in 2000, with nearly one in six rural adults holding a 【M1】______

4-year college degree, and more than three in four complete 【M2】______

high school. As the demand of workers with higher educational 【M3】______

qualifications rises, many rural policymakers

have come to view local educational levels as a critical

determinant of job and income growth in their communities.

But policymakers are facing with two key questions. 【M4】______

First, does a better educated population lead to greater

economic growth？ According to a recent study, rural counties

with higher educational levels saw rapid earnings and 【M5】______

income growth over the past two decades than counties with

lower educational levels. However, economic returns to

education for rural areas continue to lag that for urban areas. 【M6】______

Second, are there Ways to improve local educational attainment,

particularly through improvements in elementary and high

schools, It can enhance the economic well-being of rural 【M7】______

residents and communities？ In fact, preliminary research

demonstrates a connection between better schools and positive

outcomes in terms of earnings and Income growth for rural

workers and rural communities.

Ultimately, the strength of the tie between education and

economic outcomes is influenced in part by the extent which 【M8】______

small rural counties lose young adults through

outmigration. The loss of potential workers from rural areas, as

young adults leave college and work opportunities in urban 【M9】______

areas, has concerned rural observers for many decades. This

rural "brain drain" not only deprives rural employers of an

education workforce, but also depletes local resources because 【M10】______

communities that have invested in these workers' education

reap little return on that investment.

【M1】