ABSTRACT
The equality of educational opportunity derives from a process or input approach and places the focus on student access to enhanced curricula, equipment, and other program components. The popular belief is that small and/or rural schools provide their students education inferior to that provided by urban and suburban schools. The National Committee noted that education has different meanings for the poor and nonpoor: "To the middle class it stands for the road to better things for one's children and one's self. The Marland Commission report to the US Congress stated that gifted and talented children are deprived and can suffer permanent impairment to their intellectual abilities if their special needs are not met. The at-risk student is typified by identification with one or more of five very broad categories; ranking in the bottom two-fifths of their class, over-age for their grade, student selection of certain targeted curricula, excessive absenteeism, and exhibition of behavior unacceptable in the classroom setting.
