Rural school boards have a unique opportunity to impact education by involving teachers, administrators, and the community in policy development. To make policy an instrument of empowerment, policymakers should consider the following steps: (1) seeking information from any and all groups that the policy will affect to develop a statement about organizational growth; (2) write statements in the form of super-objectives giving a perspective of the individual's role in the total organizational setting; (3) distributing policies and collecting suggestions for refinement from the school board; and (4) receiving thorough input on all organizational levels culminating in a formal policy statement by the school board. Congruence of expectations and goals is necessary if boards of education wish to empower schools in developing programs and encouraging growth among its faculty. Empowerment is conducive to change because teachers and administrators work together toward common goals. Empowerment promotes positive community attitudes that reduce alienation and increase performance of both students and staff. Based on empowerment and shared decisionmaking, policy development has a greater capacity to fulfill its basic function of improving the learning environment for the learner. The continuing process of policy development and revision involving all constituencies becomes the leadership role of the local board of education. (LP)