Impoverished populations and schools in rural areas face special challenges that are different from other settings. Among these are the distances from social services, the sparse availability of assistance programs, and the shortage of resources to support educational programs and student learning. Rural schools, do, however, have assets that can be leveraged to promote student learning, including relatively smaller size, the centrality of the school in local community affairs, and the deep commitments of instructional and leadership staff. While instructional interventions that work with any low-performing students are generally transferrable to the rural setting, the most promising programs focus on curricular changes. Curricula that strengthen the "value of place" and "place-based pedagogy" are successful in linking students to schools and important learning outcomes. (Contains 15 online resources.)