This document contains the 12 issues of the newsletter "Rural Policy Matters" published in 2000. Issues examine recent educational research on small and rural schools; report on state standards and court litigation related to rural schools, the efforts of communities to save their local schools, and the condition of rural facilities; outline policy issues related to rural school funding and school reform; and list new publications and Web sites of interest. Articles include: "Smaller Schools Can Reduce Poverty's Power: Georgia Research Results Released"; "Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools"; "Small Schools Thwart Poverty: Results from Ohio and Texas Show Boost in Achievement"; "Smaller Schools Stem Poverty's Power: Montana Research Results Released"; "Idaho Facing Facilities Crisis: Poor or Dangerous Conditions Highlighted in Lawsuit"; "Closing the Spending Gap: Pennsylvania Eyes Equity Finance Options"; "Declining Enrollment: Silent Killer of Rural Communities"; "Georgia Adopts Major School Reforms"; "Pennsylvania: A State of Denial on School Funding"; "New Vermont Standards: Sustainability and Understanding Place"; "Colorado Charters: An Antidote for Consolidation?""Rural Minnesota's Charter Schools"; "Court Upholds School Closure: Allegany County, Maryland Activists Change Focus"; "Creating Schools as Centers of Community"; "Why Rural Matters: Gauging Importance and the Need for Action in Each State"; "Community Counts When School Reform Matters"; "The Changing Face of Rural America: Newly Diverse Communities Struggle with New Demands"; "Groups Build Grassroots Leadership in the Southeast"; "New Study Finds Small Districts Work Too"; "Ohio Finance Litigation: Winning Isn't Everything"; and "Small Does Work: A Florida Story You'll Want To Hear." (SV)