Promotion rate differences in Brazilian rural and urban primary schools prompted an investigation of educational problems in rural areas. Four case studies were conducted in lower (1st through 4th grade) and upper (5th through 8th grade) rural primary schools in three regions of Espirito Santo State which have different cultures, languages, and economies. School location and facilities, teacher and student characteristics and attitudes, and learning routines were described. Recommendations were made to improve educational quality. Teachers were found to lack minimum teaching qualifications and information about educational techniques, were poorly paid, and were passive toward educational change. Technical and administrative personnel were seldom available. Students were two years older than their urban counterparts, came from lower middle class backgrounds, were passive and disciplined in the classroom, and valued school as entertainment and a break from household chores. Teachers regarded themselves as caretakers of knowledge to be imparted to students, maintained formal classroom attitudes, and interacted with few students. Curiosity and creativity were discouraged, classroom activities showed little variation, textbooks were followed page by page, no supplemental materials were used, and information was not related to the known environment. Promotion standards varied from teacher to teacher and seemed more demanding in lower grades. (LFL)