LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Officials say University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers will lead a $6.5 million study of policies and practices of early childhood education.

They will study how education policies differ in rural and urban areas for children in pre-kindergarten through third grade to learn how educators can close the achievement gap for at-risk students.

The university researchers will focus on education in rural areas, with 10 rural and two urban school districts slated to participate in the project.

Other researchers involved will include some at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; the University of California, Irvine; Ohio State University; the University of Virginia; and MDRC, a policy research center.