For several years at the Rural and Small Schools Conference, a special effort has been made to address the needs that are unique to rural science educators. This publication is a compilation of materials presented at those conferences reflecting the following themes: "In Search of Excellence" (1985); "Rural Education: A Proud Heritage and a Bright Future" (1986); and "Rural Education: A Hope for the Future" (1987). The complete papers are included for the 1985 conference. The remaining two years have only the abstracts provided. Topics of papers included deal with: science skill objectives; science fairs; teacher education; professional development; science laboratories; biological concepts; and strategies for assessing strengths, needs and visions of science teachers in rural schools. The abstracts cover information on critical thinking skills; inservice workshops; the use of networks for the development of programs; science activities; application of a thinking model; the use of field sites; the use of community resources; telecommunications; use of computers in science; and science, technology and society. An index of authors is provided. (RT)