A project was undertaken in 1965 in 3 elementary schools in Wayne County School District, Utah, to determine if students entering small, rural schools have cultural disadvantages and, if so, to develop materials and procedures to meet such deficiencies. Pretesting revealed significant differences in vocabulary development and experiential background compared to an urban control population. Programs designed to improve instruction were developed in areas of parent-teacher communication, instructional excursions, pupil-team specialties, resource utilization, and individualized reading instruction. Second- and third-year evaluations of the project showed significant gains in vocabulary growth and reading achievement. One elementary school made extensive use of the amplified telephone and established companion schools in New Mexico and New York City to offset the disadvantages of isolation. Materials developed in the course of the project are described. (JH)