A STUDY OF PROBLEMS AND EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES IN THE PROVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES IN THE SMALL RURAL PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS OF NEW MEXICO

There exists great implications for rural special education in New Mexico. New Mexico is a tri-cultural state with vast rural areas and 20 small rural public school districts with average memberships of 300 or less. In addition, New Mexico is the only state which has chosen not to participate in Public Law 94-142. This study used the in-depth, on-site interview method to collect data on problems and effective strategies in providing special education services in the small rural public school districts of New Mexico.;One special education teacher and one special education administrator in each of 17 participating school districts were interviewed. A majority of the respondents concluded there was a severe or moderate problem in the provision of special education in the areas of staff recruitment, staff development, and program compliance. A sign test applied to the data revealed a significant difference in opinion between teachers and administrators only in the areas of staff recruitment and appropriate equipment and materials.;Teachers ranked the three most severe problems as appropriate equipment and materials, related services staff recruitment, and staff development; while administrators cited related services staff recruitment, program compliance, and staff development. A sign test applied to this data indicated a significant difference in ranking only in the area of appropriate equipment and materials.;Numerous effective strategies to overcome specific problem areas in the provision of special education services were discussed by interviewees and summarized in tabular form. Recommendations included general and specific suggestions to improve services for rural exceptional children and recommendations for future research efforts.;The Small Rural School District Special Education Interview Schedule was developed for this study through a six-phase process including expert appraisal, pretest and pilot test. The 65 interview items formulated were focused on the following eight research areas: (a) student programs and services, (b) transportation, (c) school finances, (d) staffing/recruitment, (e) staff retention, (f) staff development, (g) equipment and materials, and (h) other problems.