Based upon the unpublished data of a study focusing upon the status projections of low-income youth from seven southern states (rural white Appalachians, rural blacks, inner-city urban blacks, and poor urban whites from one state), this paper synthesizes a longitudinal analysis of status projections. Baseline data (1969) derived from 1,500 fifth and sixth grade children and their mothers are compared with data obtained after a social intervention experiment in 1971 (a subsample of mothers involved in a series of lesson/discussions on helping children with career planning) and with data derived from 1975 interviews with the same respondents. Additionally, 1975 data on new samples of fifth and sixth grade students are compared. Among the major questions addressed are: rural-urban differences; sex differences; racial differences; differences between the economically disadvantaged and others; educational and occupational aspirations and expectations. Among the generalized results presented are: youth from deprived backgrounds now have aspirations as high or higher than others, with low income preadolescents projecting aspirations as high as those of the affluent youth, blacks higher than whites, girls higher than boys, and rural about as high as urban; and status projections decline substantially from pre- to late adolescence but are still unrealistically high. Finally, this paper presents questions relative to the purpose and value of this kind of rural research. (JC)