This booklet provides sample strategies to ameliorate service delivery problems commonly encountered by rural special educators. Strategies to increase acceptance of disabled students by nondisabled peers include buddy systems and class activities that promote personal interaction, simulation activities, and social and personal skills development.…

This article describes prevention and treatment factors that can assist rural students at risk for learning difficulties to develop self-esteem and lead useful lives. Factors include social change, teacher education, community-business-school partnerships, family involvement, community education, interdisciplinary approaches to assessment, school…

Although rural children with mild or moderate handicaps have been integrated into the regular classroom, children with severe or low-incidence handicaps continue to be underserved by rural schools. Traditional service delivery models are inadequate in rural areas where many levels of the traditional service continuum and adequate staff and funding…

An effective staff development program for rural teachers will have identified the needs to be met, will incorporate good management principles, and will make use of a variety of resources--the community itself, nonprofessional staff, business and industry, and shared teaching efforts. Distinctive staff development needs of rural teachers may…

This booklet examines the unique difficulties of delivering education services to at-risk children and youth with exceptionalities who live in rural areas. An introductory chapter considers the extent of the problem and identifies such strategies as providing self-esteem education, appropriate preservice and inservice training,…