Rural education reform manifest in the U.S. "Country Life Movement" of the early 1900's centered on the doctrine of economic efficiency. Rural education reformers believed that high food prices were due to the inefficiency of farmers and the general discontent of rural peoples exemplified by the rural to urban migration. The rural education system was perceived as the key to rendering rural people "efficient and contented" enough to produce the nation's food. The rural school was perceived as the most important institution of change because: there was faith in its ability to change people; it was a publicly-controlled institution amenable to public pressure; it directly influenced people when they were young and pliable; and it was an especially significant institution in the country. Country Lifers perceived change in terms of reorganization (curriculum reform which would produce more aesthetically contented and more scientifically skilled people) and redirection (school consolidation). Fearing the loss of local control and resenting the condescending attitudes of the largely urban oriented reformers, the rural people opposed reform, while the reformers retaliated with charges of ignorance and viciousness. After 1920, interest in rural school reform declined sharply, mainly because food prices fell considerably after 1920. (JC)