Collected as part of the program of work for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development/Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (OECD/CERI) Education and Local Development project, scheduled to operate from 1979 to the end of 1981, this volume is designed to provide a foundation of information and insights on education in the sparsely populated areas of a group of industrialized nations. The book addresses the broad spectrum of rural education issues within some OECD member countries (Portugal, New Zealand, Scotland, Australia, Finland, Norway and the United States). The authors identify innovative programs, policies, and strategies, and point toward the more promising paths for rural school improvement. They also issue warnings about some of the blind alleys and dead ends that can be encountered. The major topics covered include delivery systems, in-school innovations, support mechanisms, and community-school linkages. (Author/CM)