Wilfred D. Wienke

A Model for Recruiting and Preparing New Rural Special Educators: Mining an Untapped Potential

Special education teachers continue to be in short supply. The shortage is especially significant in rural areas. Identifying pools of potential new rural special educators is a challenging prospect for university personnel responsible for recruiting new students and populating graduate level special education teacher training programs. This article describes the current need for recruiting new rural special education teachers, traditional recruitment avenues, special recruitment challenges, and a unique and successful approach for recruiting new special educators. Aspects of the strategy described include the identification of specific populations of university students and recruiting new special educators from those populations of students who hold undergraduate degrees in fields other than teaching. Specific components of a unique recruitment effort designed to enhance enrollment in special education graduate programs are included.

Elementary and Middle/Secondary Educator's Pre and Post Training Perceptions of Ability To Instruct Students with Disabilities.

The following discussion describes and evaluates an innovative training approach in which one hundred sixteen general educators (64 elementary and 52 middle/secondary) were educated in instructional and behavioral strategies to better serve students with disabilities. For a period of ten weeks a collaborative consultation intern and a university coordinator were assigned to teams of four to five general educators and a special educator at six elementary, four middle and two secondary schools. All schools served predominately rural students from North Central West Virginia. Each team attended weekly problem-solving seminars at their home schools. Prior to participation in the teacher preparation project, general educators rated their ability to work with students with disabilities. They again rated their ability to work with students with disabilities after their involvement in the project. The skill ratings of elementary and middle/secondary educators were analyzed and compared using the Assessment of Skills for Teachers (Morsink, Thomas, & Correa, 1991). Significant differences and improvements in perception of skills between and within elementary and middle/secondary educator groups were found. Elementary educators generally self-rated their skills higher than middle/secondary educators prior to and after participation in the training program. The findings are discussed and recommendations for policy and research are provided along with implications for training general educators.

Preservice Competencies for Teachers of Students with Behavior Disorders in a Rural Setting

The purposes of this investigation were to identify and validate competencies for rural teachers of students with behavior disorders. Initial competencies were selected from previous research studies, university special education programs having a rural focus, and verbal feedback from rural teachers of behavior disorders enrolled in graduate courses at a university. A questionnaire composed of the competencies was distributed to 176 teachers who served students with behavior disorders in West Virginia and 6 faculty members who taught courses in behavior disorders. Content validity was determined by comparing judgments regarding the importance of the competencies to the requirements of teaching.

The Transition Process in Rural Areas: Reviewing Some of the Difficulties.

Pervasive difficulties with the transition process in rural areas are reviewed. Challenges for implementation, both apparent and hidden, are described. Some suggestions for improved planning for transition services in rural areas are provided.

Preparing Teachers in Behavior Disorders through an Innovative Teacher Training Program.

This article describes a unique teacher training program available to individuals who are teaching students with behavior disorders in rural areas of West Virginia. The program incorporates those competencies in behavior disorders and in rural education that have been field tested and identified as important for BD teachers in the state. Use of portable computers for collecting, recording, and analyzing student data, provide the participants with hands-on experience in computer applications and in methods for evaluating the effectiveness of behavioral and instructional programs in the classroom. Q-sort methodology, specially designed seminars, and videotaped vignettes of participants’ teaching performances make this program an individualized experience for all participants.

Book Reviews: Current Resources For Grantwriters

The interconnected nature of the proposal components is emphasized in this book. The authors stress that grant writers need to communicate the thrust of the project in a direct and integrated fashion. They assert that clear, understandable language which quickly helps the reader understand the proposal is critical to a successful review, and they offer suggestions for structuring and writing the proposal to enhance comprehension. They recommend conventions for clearly presenting key components such as timelines, work scope, and evaluation plans, and they also offer ideas for designing an evaluation plan that is responsive to project components, has a high potential for effectiveness, and will be simple to operationalize. The budget planning process is analyzed, with examples for developing budget components, displaying and communicating them effectively, and outlining strategies for generating future funding. Finally, the authors provide ideas for communicating the capability of the agency in a way which emphasizes strengths and capacities to implement the project successfully.