This packet describes 10 promising practices identified in small and rural elementary schools in New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont. Descriptions of the following innovations are presented: (1) community volunteers with diverse talents and experience became enrichment "teachers" during school time for students in intermediate grades, for which local businesses contributed money and materials, and school staff provided backup; (2) educators established a bridge between school and community through an unusual newsletter giving equal space and emphasis to each; (3) foreign language classes for grades 5 and 6 used the Total Physical Response approach, which patterns second language instruction on first language acquisition; (4) a fifth grade teacher successfully instituted individualized mathematics instruction in her self-contained classroom; (5) a rural school district completed self-assessments of seven educational aspects, developed action plans based on assessed needs, and set up district-wide task forces to address various improvement goals; (6) the Explore/Enrichment Program provided individual enrichment activities to students with special interests and talents while avoiding labeling and IQ screening; (7) primary teachers modified Mastery Learning techniques for use in their own outcomes-based instruction, and noted several objective indicators of student improvement; (8) a poor rural school district cooperated with a local youth and family agency to provide guidance and counseling in elementary schools; (9) primary students improved language skills by working on language activities in cross-age ability groups; and (10) "clusters" of 50 children, 2 regular classroom teachers, and a special education teacher replaced the typical classroom organization and overcame many negative aspects of pull-out remedial programs. Each description includes a contact person and suggestions for educators considering such a program. (SV)