Having spent the last few years trying to turn clicks into actions that can improve education for all students, I hope this lightning rod of an op-ed might ultimately resemble something of a watershed moment. Rural education has never been a “sexy” issue in ed reform, so putting a spotlight on our communities and bringing real awareness to our challenges may as well be first base.

That doesn’t mean the piece got everything right. Many have been quick to lambast the piece’s title for its audacity in calling rural schools “tragic.” While I personally didn’t take the title as an ad hominem attack on our schools — and of course, if you read the piece at all, you’ll know that wasn’t the point — it still probably turned off a lot of readers who may have otherwise agreed with op-ed’s most important points.