Supporting beginning teachers continues to be problematic for education systems across the nation. Issues concerning recruitment and retention have long plagued the profession. The onset of the global pandemic exacerbated these issues, particularly across rural communities. Researchers continue to advocate for the need to provide beginning…

The four-day school model is gaining popularity in rural districts across the United States. The four-day model has been touted as a model that produces benefits for rural communities. The four-day school week has been cited as creating benefits as well as consequences, however, there is limited research into the area of special education. The…

This article provides an overview of current special education policy in Mexico and highlights two successful schools in rural Jalisco that have garnered recognition as particularly creative and responsive institutions. A void exists in the literature about the types of specialized services that children with disabilities are likely to encounter…

The purpose of this research was twofold: (a) to assess educator self-reported knowledge, skills, and perceptions of twice-exceptional children's characteristics for best practices in identification and (b) to develop strong educator competencies through professional development sessions for serving and nurturing twice-exceptional learners in…

Students who are eligible for special education and related services are entitled to a free appropriate public education (FAPE), which is delineated by the Individualized Education Program (IEP). The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine 133 IEPs from seven rural districts that were interested in evaluating their compliance with state…

Interest in documenting the history and evolution of the American Council for Rural Special Education (ACRES), from the perspective of its original members, resulted in distribution of a survey and interviews. The data collected recount the original mission of ACRES and describe the organization's impact over the past 37 years. Overarching themes…

Although rural special educators face many challenges in meeting the needs of students with disabilities, they often report having positive relationships with their students and families. Rural educators have the opportunity to leverage this relationship with families by having parents implement academic interventions with their child at home. The…

Providing adequate supervision for pre-service teachers enrolled in special education field placements is a challenge. Rural placements often exacerbate this challenge due to the large geographical areas in which these placements are located. The purpose of this article is to describe one approach to early field supervision in rural settings that…

National- and state-level education policies are evolving to address teacher shortages that are pervasive across the United States and are particularly problematic in rural special education. In this article, we describe a policy we call "endorsement by exam" in which teachers certified in one subject area can become certified in other…

This investigation used the 7 P's Service Marketing Mix (i.e., product, price, place, promotion, people, physical evidence, and processes) to review development and recruitment strategies of special education alternative teacher preparation programs. Articles published between 1997 and 2018 were reviewed to identify alternative teacher preparation…

Forty-one states and 928 teacher preparation programs across the United States are using the Teaching Performance Assessment (edTPA) as an evaluation tool to determine teacher readiness and/or meet licensure requirements. Nationwide, pre-service special education teachers struggle to demonstrate proficiency in specific areas of the edTPA (i.e.,…

The adult outcomes of youth with disabilities continue to lag behind those of their peers without disabilities, especially for youth living in rural communities. Interdisciplinary teaming is identified as an important component of effective transition planning. Transition planning and collaborative teaming are challenged further in rural…

There is a documented shortage of special education teachers nationwide, and many rural school districts report hiring uncertified or temporary teachers to fill the open positions. To meet the needs of rural schools in our state, Colorado Christian University developed an asynchronous online alternative special education teacher certification…

Constructing written text in English can be a challenging endeavor for all students, but it holds particular challenges for English Language Learners (ELLs) with learning disabilities (LD). For this reason, effective instruction needs to recognize the gifts of emergent bilingualism and respond to the challenges that ELLs with LD bring to the task…

A global perspective of education, special education, rural communities, and non-traditional instruction is provided for two countries. Both Turkey and Australia have responded to the COVID-19 global pandemic in similar yet, different ways. Through the tale of two countries navigating the rapid response to school closure for students with…