The third annual survey of the Illinois Rural Life Panel included questions on school taxes, improvements to strengthen local schools, satellite technology, extracurricular activities, and career opportunities after high school. Results from a sample of approximately 2,000 residents in the 76 Illinois nonmetropolitan counties included: (1) 54 percent reported at least one tax referendum in their school district during the past 5 years; (2) although most panelists (60 percent) believed that property tax increases do not improve education, more than half indicated a willingness to pay more to implement school improvements; (3) of panelists with children in school, 78 percent would send their children to the same school, if they had a choice; (4) 75 percent believed that increased local funding for schools would improve education (suggesting that panelists would be willing to support user fees and increases in taxes other than property taxes); (5) most believed school improvement requires more parental involvement, more reading and writing courses, and vocational courses for jobs that will be in demand; (6) there was a general lack of knowledge and understanding about the potential of satellite courses; (7) 67 percent would be willing to pay extra charges for their children to participate in extracurricular activities; (8) the most popular advice to children about career opportunities after high school included preparing for a professional career and seeking work in a company with a good training program; and (9) 29 percent would not recommend returning to their home town after college. Factors that influenced panel members' perceptions included how active they were in the school system, sex, age, education level, career, and salary. (LP)