The study compared academic progress and behavioral ratings of students in an interrelated special education program with those of students in a categorical program. Subjects were 92 mildly disabled students from two rural special education cooperatives. Results indicated that overall student performance did not differ significantly between the…

In a survey of 169 rural school psychologists, the major barrier to effective educational assessment was perceived to be inadequate special education program options. Other perceived barriers were inadequate adaptive behavior measures, inadequate time for evaluations, and bias shown toward a child based on knowledge of other family members. (JHZ)

A model of staff development is presented which applies inservice education methods to the special conditions of rural Alaska. An individualized, field-based training program is cooperatively planned with those receiving the training. Ultimately, each trainee constructs an implementation plan. A follow-up assesses whether the program objectives…

Among 68 rural learning-disabled students in grades 5-7 having moderate decoding fluency and high decoding accuracy, a paraphrasing cognitive strategy increased reading comprehension of main ideas more effectively than repeated readings or control training. Paraphrasing plus repeated readings was no more effective than paraphrasing alone. Contains…

Considers characteristics of rural gifted students, rural family and community attitudes and school conditions relevant to rural gifted students' underachievement. Recommends active administrator support for gifted programs, and the use of acceleration as an equitable, effective, and cost-efficient strategy for rural gifted education. 41…

Involving families in the education of a child with a disability is beneficial to all concerned. Unfortunately, initiating and sustaining that involvement is often difficult, particularly in rural communities. A rationale for and challenges to family involvement are briefly reviewed. Twenty-one effective practical strategies for involving rural…

Existing models of supported employment (individual placement, mobile crew, enclave, and benchwork models) have limited utility in rural areas. The Black Hills Special Services Cooperative (Sturgis, South Dakota) developed an entrepreneurial model that addresses the lack of rural employers and transportation problems by creating new businesses…

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)

A graduate course on curriculum and strategies for teaching gifted students was delivered by satellite to three university sites in West Virginia. Telecourse design and procedures, student enrollment, course evaluation, and suggestions for course planning and institutional cooperation are discussed. (Author/SV)

This paper provides basic information on searching the Internet and describes sites of interest in the area of rural special education. The first section traces the evolution of the Internet through various phases--ARPANET, NSFNET, CERNET, and the beginnings of the World Wide Web--and describes various protocols (methods and tools) developed to…

This article reviews the development of Medicaid (MA) reimbursement for medically related special education (SE) services and describes a MA assistance project for schools in Arkansas. The 1988 Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act (Public Law 100-360) allowed medically related special education services to be covered by MA. However, schools have…

Because it incorporates many of the best practices of inservice education, the use of computer/video linkage for inservice education programs in small rural schools holds great promise for improving both the method of delivery and the content of professional development activities. Studies of staff in small rural schools consistently find…

The proceedings from the March 1985 conference on rural special education present papers, abstracts, and presentation materials on a wide range of topics. Topics include: rural delivery models, a learning center approach to health and physical education, the microcomputer as an electronic teacher's aide, supervision strategies for a rural…

This book is a compilation of papers prepared for a 1975 conference on the delivery of special education services. Because conference participants were from states where problems of distance and low population density complicate the delivery of special education programs, a multifaceted approach was used to address these two critical problems. The…

Describes how the Blackfeet Head Start Program uses professionals to train local residents as screeners and home trainers for preschool handicapped children. Notes that numbers of handicapped children and their families who receive services have increased as a result of using local home trainers and teachers as direct care providers. (JHZ)