More than 30 years after the Great Society initiatives, poverty continues to put large numbers of students at risk of school failure. The challenges to education and life success are most severe for children in the nation's poorest rural counties, the 535 rural persistent poverty (RPP) counties. This digest provides background on RPP counties and outlines some critical areas and types of multidisciplinary research needed to develop tools, programs, and community capacity to improve the quality of life, including education, in poor rural communities. Histories of inequality and outside control of resources have left many RPP communities with deep social stratification, low-performing schools, and low expectations for students from poor families. Reform efforts in RPP communities must take into account the economic, political, and social marginalization that continues to structure educational practice and community life. Building community capacity for change requires developing stronger human and social capital. In October 1999, an interdisciplinary group of researchers, policy makers, and experts in education and community engagement developed research agendas to help revitalize RPP communities. Their recommendations are outlined in three categories: capacity building (the role of interrelationships between school and community, local leadership capacities, and the impact of new technologies); policy research (rural disadvantages, policy bias, and policy impacts); and interdisciplinary focus across institutions and constituencies. (Contains 16 references.) (SV)