New York State's rural educational institutions offer opportunities needed by the state but their potentials go unrecognized by educational policymakers. Rural colleges, secondary schools, and Boards of Educational Services (BOCES) are funded at a lower level than urban counterparts at a time when most rural areas are experiencing population increases, employment diversification, and technological change. Universities serving the state's rural areas such as Cornell's statutory land-grant colleges and Cooperative Extension Service are reevaluating their programs' relevance to rural needs. Teachers colleges, agricultural/technical colleges, and community colleges in the State University of New York system and located predominately in rural areas face questions about duplicate missions and programs. Rural public secondary schools demand policy attention to areas such as inadequate tax bases; low scores on minimum competency tests; lack of well-trained mathematics, English, and language teachers; more first-year teachers; and lack of opportunities to study advanced courses. BOCES, which coordinate shared services for rural schools, have cut programs and face criticism for not keeping pace with vocational education needs. Issues for rural education policymakers include institutional mission, governance/management, and financing. The paper concludes with 11 questions elaborating policy issues. (LFL)