This document contains the six issues of "Rural Roots" published bimonthly in 2002. A newsletter of the Rural School and Community Trust, "Rural Roots" provides news, information, and commentary from the Rural Trust and highlights the wide variety of place-based education work happening in rural schools and communities across the country. Feature articles include: "Chef Cooks Up a Community Development Harvest in Rural West Virginia" (Alison Yaunches); "Teacher Development: Missouri's North Nodaway School District's Professional Development Program Improves Teacher Effectiveness and Student Achievement"; "A First Person Account of the Rural Trust's Education Renewal Zone Initiative in Missouri" (Vicki M. Hobbs); "Small Works: Schools in Three States Showcase Virtues of Small Size" (Alison Yaunches); "A Firsthand Account of Teaching in a Small School" (Susan McNeil); "Learning and Living with Diversity in Schleicher County, Texas" (Alison Yaunches); "Students from Small, Northern California Town Create a Usable Work of Art"; "LUPE Lends a Hand to the Mexican-Americans of Ojai Valley" (Kelly Midori McCormick); "Connecting Communities and Classrooms" (Elaina Loveland); "Community Collaboration for Place-Based Studies Celebrates Local Natural and Cultural History" (June LaCombe); "Rural Schools Participate in Youth Civic Engagement Initiative" (Elaina Loveland); "Leader Sees Growing Trend in Youth Civic Engagement: An Interview with Wendy Wheeler"; "Challenges and Rewards of Rural School Leadership" (Elaina Loveland); "The Sharing of Authority"; and "Diary of a Rural School Leader: What Really Matters Anyway?" (Jeanne Surface). Issues also contain notices of conferences and new publications; brief articles on school projects, rural education research, and technical assistance and funding opportunities; and organizational news of the Rural Trust. (SV)