This paper describes Project TransND, a transition services project implemented jointly through the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, Office of Special Education, and the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. This program helps prepare special education students to transition from high school to the work world. Project goals include…

Project RAISE (Rural America Institute for Special Educators) is a preservice teacher training program specifically designed for preparing special educators for the demands of rural settings. The project is being conducted by the Department of Special Education at Bowling Green State University and concentrates on training special educators in a…

In response to findings that 50-80% of handicapped adults nationwide are unemployed, the state of South Dakota has mandated transition planning for handicapped secondary students. A statewide mail survey examined the awareness and attitudes of special education teachers about the need for transition services, the extent of current teacher training…

Planning assessment procedures for disabled young children is a concern that grows as the students move from among various community or state agency programs. This paper discusses the issues surrounding interagency transition procedures and introduces a guide for helping agency personnel define problems with the transition process. It also…

A year-long study investigated the perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs of rural educators concerning gifted learners and their educational needs. Participants were all K-12 teachers (43) and administrators (3) in a single, rural southeastern Kansas school district serving 518 students. During the study, conducted in school year 1985, teachers…

West Virginia is recognized as the second most sparsely populated state in the nation. Legislation that intended to upgrade the quality of education in the state was passed in 1988. Some educational leaders argued that statewide reform must consider the uniqueness of sparse, rural school districts in the state, taking into account issues such as…

To guide personnel in establishing appropriate gifted/talented programs in small, rural secondary schools, this bibliography provides annotated citations for 29 journal articles and books published from 1968 to 1986 which examine all aspects of gifted education. Annotations are divided into 4 sections: the current status of gifted education in…

Several targets, tools and strategies can help the novice director of programs for preschool handicapped children in rural isolated areas work with advocates and volunteers who may offer valuable help, but who need information and direction. The fragility of intercommunity relationships in rural areas often requires the sensitive use of talents…

Presented are eight papers that deal with the educational implications for handicapped children of domain-referenced testing, as contrasted with standardized norm-referenced achievement testing. The crucial aspects of each testing model are highlighted by W. Hively in an introductory section. M. Reynolds surveys past and present special education…

The role of a rural university in the delivery of special education services to exceptional children is explained in relation to four categories: academic services, in-service training of special education teachers, consulting services to local education agencies, and clinical assessment of children. Difficulties are described and possible…

During 1984-85 New York's 14 Early Childhood Direction Centers responded to 10,609 service requests and assisted 5,283 parents, 376 professionals, and 666 agencies in obtaining services for 5,510 handicapped children aged birth to 5. The network operated at a cost of only $218 per child matched to services. (JHZ)

Study examines implications for rural special education cooperatives of federal law mandating education for handicapped children. Compliance was assessed in 135 cooperatives in Regions 4 and 5. Mandated parental rights, student assessments, and individual plans posed least difficulty. Lack of special education knowledge posed most difficulty.…

Tells the story of a special teacher in a rural school and her influence on the writer's life. Notes qualities of the effective teaching including empathy, energy, high expectations, acknowledgement of the whole child, and perception of the hidden curriculum. Discusses teacher's ways of overcoming her students' poverty and educational…

The Richmond preschool is an innovative partnership between regular and special education. High school students taking a child care course act as aides to the preschool special education teacher and learn to apply and observe classroom-based theory and knowledge of child growth and development in a meaningful and concrete manner. (JHZ)

As increasing numbers of students with disabilities are placed in regular classrooms, the shortage of rural special educators means that many rural classroom teachers are the primary providers of individualized programming to meet special needs. Since 1994, West Virginia University has been expanding its existing teacher education programs to…