Rural Special Education Teacher Training

Abstract

Special educators in the Pacific territories have been engaged in teacher training since the inception of special education in 1967. The lack of qualified Pacific Islanders has demanded that services be obtained by various methods, including short- and long-term consultants, on-staff trainers, master teachers, and Peace Corps volunteers. Not all of the arrangements have been successful. Like many rural and isolated areas on the U.S. mainland, the Pacific territories have only recently begun comprehensive, long-range planning for personnel development that is sensitive to unique regional variables. This paper will examine a number of those variables in the Pacific basin and present a paradigm for educators involved in special education personnel preparation in similar isolated areas.