Planned for a K-12 school with 84 students and a full-time instructional staff of 8, including a teaching principal, the North Haven Project for Career Development (North Haven Island, Maine) is described in the context of its small, geographically isolated community. Though offered primarily as a program developed to meet a specific community's needs, the program is presented as one on which other isolated rural schools could build. The setting of the community is detailed, as well as the workings and philosophy of its rural school. The goal of the program is described as an attempt to make a variety of career alternatives real for students, from the option of staying within the community to leaving. General features of a curriculum for small rural schools are given and four modern teaching methods as applied in rural areas are described: role-playing, hands-on activities, use of resource persons, and field trips--all used in conjunction with career education. A major portion of the report is devoted to kindergarten through senior high activity oriented, rural-urban, short- and long-term exchange possibilities to reduce rural students' isolation. The report concludes with a section on the hometown option, including teaching community appreciation, (with "Foxfire"-type suggestions) and skills for hometown living. A four-page list of resources found during the project is included. (RS)