The regional approach as an alternative for meeting the needs of rural youth is discussed in comparison to the small school district which cannot possibly serve the broad spectrum of student needs in rural areas. The rural educational setting and its shortcomings are described as the lack of facilities, a lack of an obvious connection between education and the ability to earn a livelihood, the inability on the part of pupils or parents to see a relationship between the school curriculum and their community life, and the students' inadequate knowledge of job requirements for particular professions, which hinders them in preparing for a certain vocation. Both the regional approach and the"shared-service concept" are discussed. The advantages of these approaches are that (1) an intermediate unit allows cooperation between small districts, (2) the combination of rural schools' operations results in a more efficient and economical operation, (3) the incompetents can be weeded out of the profession through closer supervision and better evaluations, (4) the composite knowledge and cooperative utilization of resource personnel can be increased area wide, (5) through textbook exchange programs, the one book/one student concept can be abandoned, (6) by consolidation of duplicatory functions and data-processing equipment, the number of personnel required in a supportive role can actually be reduced. Several project reports (i.e., the Appalachian Regional Commission Annual Report of 1968, the 8-state Rocky mountain area project, the National Outlook Conference on Rural Youth, and the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory report of 1969) are cited. (NQ)