Although rural America and rural education have a traditional heritage of diversity, collectively rural schools share several unique features. Most rural school districts are small, they are sparsely populated, they are likely to be isolated from any major urban center, and they are both an extension and a reflection of the community they serve. Because the school is the central focus of a rural community, it generates a great deal of support, involvement, and pride from members of the community. However, consolidation efforts centered around the "bigger is better" concept weakened both rural communities and the small schools integral to them. Eventual recognition of years of rural school neglect has taken the form of the Department of Education's "Rural Education and Rural Family Education Policy for the 80's," which assures to rural education its equitable share of resources. Yet to be corrected are antirural biases which unfavorably compare rural schools to urban schools, policies which encourage consolidation at the sacrifice of small school advantages, and financing and staffing inequities. The building of useful partnerships between business/industry and rural education will help to rectify resource inequities. (MM)