A learning module that focuses on problems of at-risk rural students with disabilities was developed for preservice special education teachers at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The module focuses on (1) definitions of "at risk" on the federal and state level; (2) the characteristics associated with at-risk rural special education…

Since the advent of the Education for Handicapped Children Act of 1975, the provision of special education has moved from restrictive settings to the general education environment. Presently, schools are placing learners with special education needs into the general education classroom and providing special education services in that environment.…

The education of students with severe to profound mental handicaps (SPH) or multiple disabilities may be greatly limited in rural settings. A survey investigating this issue in a southwestern state was completed by 136 of 346 directors of special education, 67 of whom worked in rural special education cooperatives. These cooperatives served 393…

Inservice teacher education offered by Southeastern Louisiana University teaches rural special educators self-monitoring techniques for their students. A critical shortage of special educators has led to the hiring of minimally trained teachers, who need more training particularly in the areas of discipline and behavior management. A review of the…

During the 1980s, school-community partnerships increased nationwide, prompted by diminishing federal and state financial support for education, increasing numbers of at-risk students, and initiatives promoting local decision-making. Numerous examples in the literature portray partnerships involving "adoption" of schools by businesses, school use…

A master's level program was developed by the University of South Dakota to train teachers to serve children with disabilities within the general school environment. Twenty-six leaders in special education and regular education, all practicing teachers, were selected to participate in the project and to serve as a core group in the statewide…

This proceedings contains 60 conference papers and presentations on rural special education, disabled and at-risk students, and related matters. Topics include the Hmong and Southeast Asian immigrants in rural areas, special education service delivery in rural Kentucky, alternative funding for supplemental programs, reforming special education,…

Collaboration can improve the quality of services provided to rural students with low-incidence disabilities such as autism. When there are few of these children scattered over a wide geographic area, they cannot be clustered for services. Other rural problems include inadequate funding, lack of qualified staff, need for staff training, inadequate…

This practicum was designed to improve the delivery of special education services to all students with special needs in a rural Canadian school district. The goal was for teachers, as members of program planning teams, to design and implement individual program plans for exceptional students according to district special education policy…

This final report describes a project in Vermont which developed, implemented, evaluated, and disseminated a program development model for establishing new, and for improving existing, comprehensive early childhood special education services to young (birth to 5 years) children with disabilities and their families in rural settings. The model…

The Virginia Tech Technical Assistance Center is a collaborative effort among the state education agency, local school districts, and Virginia Tech. The center and its two components, the Severe-Profound Technical Assistance Center (TAC) and the Mild-Moderate TAC, are operated under the school's Institute for the Study of Exceptionalities,…

The quality of life for individuals with disabilities depends on access to quality services and employment opportunities. It is also important that the disabled be accepted as participating, contributing, and cherished members of the community. Distance and isolation, which typify rural areas, directly impact each of these issues. Individuals with…

A proposed 3-year project in Albany, New York will train 90 senior citizen volunteers to work in rural special education classrooms and with handicapped children and their parents in the children's homes. The project goal is the creation of a network of training systems and personnel to assist schools in improving special education services.…

This paper discusses the basic content of Titles I and II of Public Law 99-457: the Amendments to the Education of the Handicapped Act, and their implications for providing early intervention services to rural populations. "Title I: Services to Infants and Toddlers" discusses provisions of the law, its rationale, definitions of terms…

To identify promising practices, issues, and problems concerning education for the gifted in Maine, 239 classroom teachers and 14 administrators from 11 school districts geographically distributed throughout the state responded to questionnaires which profiled teacher personal characteristics and styles, described the educational setting and…