Finite Resources, Increasing Demands: Rural Children Left Behind? Educators Speak Out on Issues Facing Rural Special Education

Rural Special Education Quarterly, Summer 2006 by Mitchem, Katherine, Kossar, Kalie, Ludlow, Barbara L

It is putting a lot of pressure on schools that have a large number of special education students. The schools are blaming these students for their low scores. We have been trying to integrate our students and make them more acceptable to society. I'm afraid this will set us back. Everyone will look at these students in a negative light.

Another teacher summed up a common theme that NCLB will distract teachers from student needs, stating "it will put pressure on teachers and the focus will no longer be on the students."

Finite Resources., Increasing Demands: Are Rural Children Left Behind?

When considering data from all open-ended responses, some common themes related to the unique characteristics of rural special education emerged. One aspect of being rural is the challenge of providing services given sparse population density across sometimes wide geographic distances. A special education teacher educator noted:

When one special education teacher is present for the entire high school and middle school and another special education teacher is present for the elementary school, expecting those teachers to be "highly qualified" in all content areas indicates an incredible lack of understanding of rural education. This is especially true when rural schools are 50-75 miles or more apart with no communities between them.

The general perception was that rural schools would always struggle to find qualified special education teachers:

Rural schools and special education positions seem to be "training grounds" for those wanting employment as teachers. Most get their feet in the door and leave for positions in areas other than special education. School systems invest monies into their training before their departures; thus, the training has been in vain. Many consider the "red tape" and mountains of paperwork necessary for special education as a deterrent. Certain areas of education lacked certified personnel even before the NCLB mandates.

Another special education teacher reiterated the concern about special education being an entry level position by noting the need for highly qualified teachers to be "a teacher that actually wants to teach special ed., not a teacher that takes the position just to "get their foot in the door'."

Some respondents wrote thoughtful and highly personal commentaries about their own experiences, reflecting the daunting demands placed on rural educators and their own frustrations. For example, one individual wrote:

I was the only special education teacher in a rural high school; in just 4 years 18 special education teachers left the two feeder elementary schools and the high school. I was mortified by the training these teachers had and the lack of skills. Highly Qualified Special Education teachers are specialists in behavior management and have a specific overall understanding of content areas. I strongly believe that special education teachers should have a basic overall understanding of all content areas. I strongly believe that special education teachers should not teach unless they are certified in that area. The most significant fact is that most special education teachers are trained for the elementary school setting. There needs to be more emphasis on secondary setting, collaboration, and ACTUAL standards-based education training. There was a teacher who was a recent graduate from another state who was unable to read and write; I would have even settled for basic skills. It was frustrating and overwhelming to be a good teacher, dedicated, working until 10 p.m. most nights, considered highly qualified, and the other special education teacher who (who did not have the skills) left at 3:15 p.m. and couldn't understand why I worked so hard.