NCJ Number
149680
Date Published
1991
Length
55 pages
Annotation
This study examines the unique difficulties of delivering education services to at-risk children and youth with special needs who live in rural areas.
Abstract
Two-thirds of America's schools are rural, and rural schools contain higher percentages of students who are at risk than nonrural schools. Strategies for educating rural students at risk include providing self-esteem education, appropriate preservice and inservice training community- business-school partnerships, family involvement, and community education. Although the dropout rate nationally is 25 percent, it has been estimated to be much higher in rural areas. Many conditions that place students at risk are present in rural areas, including poverty, limited English proficiency, and migrancy. Fewer services are available in rural areas, and problems associated with implementing comprehensive special education services are compounded by vast land areas, scattered populations, and isolation. Remote and impoverished districts also suffer from a lack of social, psychological, and family counseling services. Geography and local cultural factors contribute to the uniqueness of each rural community, and this uniqueness requires that rural service delivery systems be individually designed. A recent national study produced numerous recommendations and implications for programming in rural areas, including recommendations on policy issues, preservice and inservice training, school programming, community action, parent activities, teacher concerns, and individual student concerns. Strategies to support programs include using persons from the community, establishing social ties, responding to other family needs, using local communication sources, and using available technologies. 30 references and other resources