A small force of 19 firefighters protects lives and property in a Wisconsin township that covers 118 square miles. Like most rural U.S. firefighters, they volunteer for a dirty, dangerous job. Now this aging volunteer force has some younger recruits.

The Great Plains was in decline for the first years of the 21st century. But since the Great Recession of 2007, the region bounced back while the rest of rural America struggled to create jobs.

The president’s proposed 2014 budget names rural education as a concern, but it fails to address the real needs of smaller schools and districts. Caitlin Howley disects the rural education provisions in the 2014 budget plan.