Personnel Preparation and Service Delivery Issues in Rural Areas: The State of the Art.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 (IDEA) reiterates the mandate that students with disabilities receive their education with nondisabled peers to the maximum extent possible. This paper examines issues in the implementation of IDEA in rural settings. A survey of members of the American Council on Rural Special Education yielded 83 usable responses, mostly from college faculty and special education administrators. Virtually all respondents worked in rural or remote settings. Respondents identified distance to campus, retention of qualified personnel, recruitment of program personnel, distance to shopping and recreation, and salary schedule as major difficulties in their teacher preparation programs related to rural location. Half used practicum sites to ensure that students had specific special education knowledge and skills. Several distance learning strategies were used. Seventy-five percent of respondents reported shortages of special education teachers; half reported shortages of related services personnel. Top recruitment strategies were professional development opportunities, paid educational tuition, and salary incentives. Difficulties related specifically to IDEA implementation included lack of qualified personnel to conduct IDEA-mandated evaluations, problems of distance, and difficulties linking goals to the general education curriculum and designing and assessing behavioral intervention plans. Support for IDEA implementation came from the efforts of local personnel, strong family involvement, and interagency support. Recommendations are listed. (Contains 35 references.) (SV)