This paper is designed to contribute to the discussion on how to conceptualise and study contextual influence in local school development. We propose a theoretical framework and an empirical illustration to supplement former research on rural school research. Focusing on what the school perceives as important in its community may explain why schools are different, based on the concept that the place where the school is located has its own expectation structures. This interaction between school and place creates the concept of the school programme, representing the role of teacher expectations within the school and the teachers' encounter with the expectation structures of the specific place. The empirical illustration originates from a project called "Learning Regions," funded by the Research Council of Norway. By comparing schools across municipalities, we have identified some common experiences based on the presented theoretical concepts.