Students growing up in rural communities are situated in contexts characterized by poor economic conditions, largely ineffective K-12 educational policies, few postsecondary opportunities, underresourced schools, and limited networks to provide social and cultural capital. As a result, students in rural contexts are underrepresented in postsecondary schools. A needs assessment in rural Idaho high schools indicated that students experience inadequate resources for college preparation and extraordinary challenges outside of school that make college attendance unlikely. Building on findings from the needs assessment and a review of interventions to increase postsecondary enrollment, this study sought to evaluate the implementation and outcomes of a weekly advisory Ramp-Up curriculum designed to increase student ownership over their own learning and the college preparation process by developing their academic mindsets and skills. Students at one Idaho high school were randomly assigned to the intervention advisory section or to "business as usual" advisory classrooms. Findings from the process evaluation indicated that additional supports need to be provided outside of the advisory time for students to complete and adjust their postsecondary plans. Despite some methodological limitations to the study, the outcome evaluation found potentially promising effects of the intervention on students' self-efficacy and grit, though scores on both measures decreased for both treatment and control groups (with treatment student scores declining less). Qualitative study findings indicated ways in which the curriculum could be adapted to be more effective. Study findings also suggest that rural schools need to focus more on providing students opportunities to explore career options as they develop postsecondary plans. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]