A 1976-78 Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development, Centre of Educational Research and Innovation, Sparsely-Populated Areas project produced 14 case studies from 11 member countries. Fifteen basic conclusions of international relevance were identified. Conclusions were as follows: there is no single definition of rural or sparsely populated areas; primary basic education is no longer a problem; secondary education continues to be a major problem; effective quality of educational opportunity often does not exist; teacher training and support mechanisms have been improved; ability to attract and retain competent teachers can only partially be influenced by policy makers; reforms which serve urban schools often have negative effects in rural schools; and student achievement in rural schools does not appear much below that of urban student achievement. Additionally, the cost of delivery of services in sparsely populated areas is high; rural schools have reduced their economic burden through strategies uniquely suited to rural areas; rural education sector remains a major constituency within member countries; improvement in rural education will occur in the absence of explicit government policies/assistance; innovations in content and delivery services are necessary and feasible; and research, data collection, and information dissemination about rural education must be improved. (AH)