This paper describes a survey, of 51 rural schools in Illinois, that was conducted to gather information on English and language arts teaching in rural areas. Following an introduction to the rationale and methodology of the survey, the paper discusses the results of the survey in the following areas: (1) the rural community, including community and school priorities, students' out-of-class activities, the effect of community norms on English teaching materials, and the community's expectations of the English teacher; (2) the English department, including teachers' responsibilities, number of courses requiring preparation, the availability of library and audio visual materials, and salaries; and (3) the organization of the curriculum, including the teachers' role in developing curriculum materials, the number of years of English study required for high school graduation, and curricula for exceptional students. Extensive tables of the survey results and a copy of the questionnaire are appended. (HTH)