There appears to have been no coherent movement of rural adult education in the United States since the area was first surveyed in the 1930s. Such problems exist as fragmentation, a lack of communication across efforts, and a lack of continuity in time. There does not even appear to be adequate information on the nature and scope of the enterprise in the rural area. None of the state surveys reviewed distinguished rural from urban participants of individual communities or counties. Few of the surveys took into account, in any systematic way, learner-initiated individual study or informal learning networks among individuals. Few of the programs described in the literature have tried seriously to discover and work within local folk traditions of communication, education, or even local perceptions of the problems involved. Research needs in several areas are apparent: (1) better inventory of current participation; (2) generalizations about what works and under what conditions; (3) methods appropriate to people with limited literacy; (4) maximizing the resources already present; and (5) ways to incorporate these needs into programs in such a way that the programs belong to the people they serve. (CT)