Rural schools experience unique challenges, including teacher quality and teacher retention, limited resources, and availability of funding. Furthermore, access to professional development and, subsequently, implementation of evidence-based practices may also be limited in rural settings. One evidence-based framework for implementing…

Positive school climate is associated with myriad positive student, staff, and school outcomes, including increased achievement and decreased problem behavior. Hence, universal evidence-based practices are necessary to increase school climate. One universal approach with evidence of effects on school climate is School-Wide Positive Behavior…

School-wide PBIS implementation is associated with positive academic and behavioral outcomes. Research supports the importance of school context in implementation and sustainment, but more work is needed to explore the role of community locale, particularly for rural communities that experience context-specific strengths and challenges in…

Limited quantitative research has examined similarities and differences between the academic achievement and discipline outcomes, including suspensions, of students with disabilities in rural and urban schools. Therefore, we leveraged a statewide longitudinal data set to explore academic achievement and discipline outcomes for students with…

We examined differences in the receipt and delivery of extended school year (ESY) services in the United States by locale as being rural, urban, or suburban. We found that there were significant differences in the percentage of students receiving ESY services according to locale, with rural local education agencies (LEAs) having a significantly…

Evidence suggests that implementing School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) with fidelity can reduce behavior problems in schools and, concomitantly, the use of school suspensions. Few studies have explored differences in SWPBIS implementation fidelity and outcomes between rural and urban schools, but research suggests…

Procedures derived from the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) have extensive research support for use with students with disabilities, such as autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, and emotional and behavioral disorders. These procedures should be implemented within the parameters of professional and ethical guidelines to…

The purpose of this study was to determine if differences existed across rural, urban, and suburban environments when special education teachers reported perceived levels of student and parent involvement and participation during IEP meetings. The investigators surveyed special education teachers (N = 159) across a Southwest state and applied log…

Early childhood transition services for children play a vital role in their successful entry to school; however, little is known regarding factors that may impact the use of various important transition practices. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a community demographic characteristic (specifically, rurality) on…

Little is known about services for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) living in rural areas. The purpose of this study was to examine parent report of access to and satisfaction with services for children with ASD in rural areas and compare results to parents from urban areas. Parents in both groups reported children were diagnosed…

Finds that 138 rural and 76 urban Kansas principals differed significantly on 10 of 20 attitude questions concerning gifted education, including the state mandate placing gifted students under special education provisions, their local school program, the principal's role, and their philosophy of education for the gifted. Contains 12 references.…

A 60-item questionnaire, part of the Occupational Stress Inventory, was administered to 165 beginning special education teachers in Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Significantly higher levels of job-related stress were found for rural compared to urban teachers and for female compared to male teachers. (SV)

Among 252 school-based occupational therapists surveyed in 5 northwestern states, the most common problems were large caseloads, too little time for paperwork, and inadequate physical facilities. Additional primary problems identified by rural therapists were excessive traveling, lack of interdisciplinary team communication, and lack of…

Describes school activities of two seven-year-old children (one rural, one urban) with low incidence disabilities. Finds similarities and differences in context and content of school activities, amount of engaged time, student heterogeneity, and in teacher training. Recommends research toward improving special education for low incidence disabled…

Judy Schrag, director of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), discusses the OSEP grant competition for personnel preparation in rural special education, rural dimensions of OSEP initiatives, and rural-urban differences in problems affecting special education and in approaches to mainstreaming disabled students. (SV)