Preparing Rural Special Educators to Collaborate with Exceptional Families

Abstract

Recruitment and retention of special education teachers for rural schools remain critical issues. The quality of teacher preparation is frequently recognized as a key factor and university preparation programs are needed to assist preservice special education teachers in developing necessary competencies. Special educators must acquire a broad range of skills in order to adapt to the unique perspectives of rural schools. Skills in working with exceptional families are essential if rural special educators are to successfully involve family members in the child's educational program. The purpose of this article is to describe a university course designed to prepare rural special education teachers to collaborate with exceptional families. Responses to open-ended questionnaires used as a method of formative evaluation are presented.