Divided into three major sections, this document defines rural, discusses the role of the National Diffusion Network (NDN), and summarizes the findings of the 17 research reports included in Abt Associates' study of the Experimental Schools Program for Small Schools Serving Rural Areas. Section I, a summary reproduction from recorded notes of an NDN conference meeting held in June 1980, contains comments concerning the definition of rural, the problems encountered in implementing innovative programs, and the role of the NDN in preparing the way for change. The views represent the collective impressions of the writers. Sections II and III consist of drafts of the document, "Federal Initiatives and Rural School Improvement; Findings from the Experimental Schools Programs." Based on an extensive research effort and directed primarily to those at the federal level responsible for the design and/or implementation of programs to facilitate educational improvement at the local level, these documents summarize findings from literature on the educational needs of rural America, note the relevance of the Experimental Schools Program to those needs, and present the major findings of the research in terms of the dynamics of rural school districts and in terms of the design and implementation of federal programs to facilitate rural school improvement. The second draft also includes recommendations. (CM)