A staff development program was designed to train rural Utah teachers in effective strategies for serving gifted and talented students. Teams of facilitators from universities and district offices traveled to rural sites to deliver 3 10-hour teacher workshops. Teachers indicated that the training was beneficial and reported positive results from…

With widespread implementation of mainstreaming in Manitoba, regular classroom teachers need diagnostic information to plan modified programs for special needs students. This report describes the demand for and availability of diagnostic services for special needs students in Agro-Manitoba, which comprises 34 rural school divisions in the…

This newsletter theme issue presents highlights from the "Seventeenth Annual Report to Congress" on the implementation, impact, and effectiveness of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It presents 19 tables and 1 figure reproduced from the annual report. The issue covers: (1) funding for IDEA Part B and Chapter 1 of…

The Collaborative Early Childhood Special Education Program provides training to students from rural and remote areas in Utah that leads to a certificate in early childhood special education. The program represents a collaborative effort between Utah State University, the University of Utah, and the Utah Office of Education. Contact with special…

This study compared the knowledge and skill levels of urban and rural special education teachers across 13 emotional and behavior disordered (EBD) competency areas. Fifty-eight graduate students enrolled in special education courses at California State University at Fresno completed the Emotionally and Behaviorally Disordered Teacher Competencies…

A staff development program in two western states helps professionals in rural school systems provide comprehensive transition services to students with disabilities. The program was designed to be relevant to rural constituents and to overcome the lack of understanding of local needs by university personnel. A vision statement relating to desired…

Project FIRST (Field-Based Integrated Regular and Special Teacher Training) is an Oklahoma program that funds teacher training on the use of technology and media to adapt instruction for disabled students in the regular classroom. The program provided inservice training to regular teachers in rural Oklahoma school districts and preservice training…

A New Mexico study interviewed 1 special education teacher and 1 administrator from each of 17 small rural school districts, via a 65-item interview guide related to staff development needs. Lack of staff development activities was identified as a critical problem for special educators. Training in instructional technology was the most frequently…

Work experience programs help rural handicapped, learning disabled, and economic/culturally disadvantaged students to make the transition from school to young adulthood. Reading, mathematics, and social difficulties evident in school impact work behaviors in later life. Other factors impacting work behaviors include cultural differences, economic…

The document contains the proceedings of a February 1988, conference on alternative futures for rural special education. After a keynote address titled "Rural Is Where the Heart Is" by Phyllis Kaplan, the approximately 100 presentations focused on such topics as the following: work experience service delivery; needs based approach for…

Public Law 94-142 requires that local education agencies (LEAs) generating less than $7,500 through the child count formula either submit consolidated applications or use the state education agency (SEA) to provide child services directly. A survey of state directors of special education in 50 states sought to address the status of interagency…

A consortium was organized in 1977 to assist 16 school districts, covering 5,100 square miles and including 19,000 students in a largely rural part of Oregon, to comply with Public Law 94-142 which requires provision for appropriate public education for the estimated 12% of the school population who are handicapped. Problems making it difficult…

Focuses on characteristics of rural Black families and the importance of their role in the education of handicapped children. Urges schools and teachers to understand the cultural strengths of rural Black children and use these cultural advantages to optimize the learning environment. (JHZ)

The "Read, Imagine, Decide, and Do" (RIDD) reading strategy was developed based on observations of student behaviors and reading problems while completing academic tasks. The four steps of the RIDD strategy are described. To determine its effectiveness, four elementary teachers in a rural northeastern Nebraska school taught the RIDD strategy. Each…

California State University, Chico, and 47 rural school districts in northeastern California collaborate on an on-the-job teacher preparation program designed to alleviate the shortage of qualified special education teachers and reduce teacher isolation. The university provides televised or Web-based courses, regional supervision, and separate…