Because rural communities have different needs and resources from those found in urban settings, nontraditional education programs provide alternatives to those features of modern mass education that respond primarily to urban needs. This digest looks at a few nontraditional programs and strategies, the problems to which they respond, and the features that make them successful. Rural problems include sparsity of population, motivating minority students toward higher achievement, and meeting the needs of special populations: the handicapped, the gifted, and juvenile offenders. Alternatives examined include setting up free universities in small communities, bilingual and multicultural education programs, rural outdoor education programs, multi-media General Equivalency Diploma (GED) preparation, and home schooling. Generally, the people who create innovative programs are community leaders and parents. Well defined needs, self-starting learners, and cooperation among educational units characterize successful alternative programs. The most important characteristic, however, is that programs be community-based, born of necessity rather than technological expediency. Contains 10 references. (DHP)