Small, sometimes multi-cultural, rural schools need specialized preservice teacher education programs to prepare teachers. After outlining the classroom, school, and sociocultural characteristics affecting a teacher's success and survival in a rural community, this paper discusses the apparent lack of rural content in teacher preparation programs…

Hearing impaired children from birth to age 5 in rural areas throughout the state of Utah are served by a home-based program which trains parents to communicate effectively with their hearing impaired child. The program is based on the following premises: (1) the preschool years are critical for developing communication skills; (2) the home is the…