Rural education is confronted with new problems, responsibilities, and opportunities to contribute to the solution of major issues facing the United States. It is generally agreed that about 10 million rural people are poor and that they constitute one-third of the nation's economically disadvantaged. The paramount cause of present urban problems stems from the migration of hordes of economically and socially deprived and displaced persons from rural areas to urban centers. The vast majority of states having large rural populations have fewer fiscal resources per child to support educational programs than the average state. Multi-district organizations are providing some of the answers to rural education problems due to scarcity of population, small school districts, geographical isolation, and an inadequate tax base. The primary challenge in rural education is to drastically improve the quality of its educational offerings and to make education relevant for those who will remain in the community and for those who will migrate to urban areas. In the document, rural education is discussed in terms of the foregoing factors; national organizations concerned with rural education are cited; 9 regional and state education improvement projects are described; and recommendations to correct deficiencies in rural education for the 1970's are listed. (JH)