Schools, families, communities, and students must come together and share in the responsibilities of implementing effective policies and programs that address the unique needs of rural youth. A recent survey of 152 rural school principals in a northwestern state examined how they defined at-risk and how they, in turn, identified at-risk students and implemented practices and policies to address the needs of these students. The most critical finding concerns the incongruence in how rural school principals defined and identified at-risk versus the programs in place to address the needs of rural at-risk students. The majority of rural school principals believed that family and environmental factors were more important at-risk identifiers than academic problems, yet most intervention programs focused on academic remediation and drug and alcohol education. In addition, rural school principals felt that changes were needed in such intangibles as attributes of teachers, traditional structure of schools, and school culture, but did not suggest how these changes could be effected. Data from the study support past research findings on the importance of expanding the school's involvement in the community and involving the "village to raise the child." Results indicate a need for school counselors to be aware of rural school principals' perceptions and concerns so that they can influence change. Contains 51 references. (TD)