Guidelines for Becoming a Teacher Leader in Rural Special Education

Abstract

Special education teachers have a unique set of skills and opportunities to become leaders in the field of education. Some rural special education teachers, however, may not see themselves as potential leaders or believe they have opportunities to be leaders. This article provides guidelines for rural special education teachers to consider in becoming leaders at the school, community, and national levels.

Relationships With School Administrators: Leveraging Knowledge and Data to Self-Advocate

“…According to researchers (see Benedict et al, 2014; Nagro et al, 2017), it is the professional duty of SETs to take charge of their own learning, deepen their knowledge, stay up to date with the latest strategies, and reflect upon their practice in order to deliver more effective instruction and an appropriate education for students with disabilities. In addition to PLCs providing a method by which SETs can strengthen their skills, it is an added benefit that the PLC can serve as a SET “support group.” These types of support groups can help you to develop and maintain a positive attitude (Kaufman & Ring, 2011) and use the membership to self-advocate for yourself, your students, and even leadership roles within your school (Collins et al, 2017).…”

“…Although self-advocacy and its effects have not been directly studied in special education retention, SETs are often encouraged to develop these similar skills. Experts recommend that SETs model self-attribution (Kaufman & Ring, 2011), become leaders within their schools (Collins et al, 2017), develop a deeper level of expertise (Benedict et al, 2014), and reflect upon their practice (Nagro et al, 2017), all in order to make better instructional decisions and be more effective special educators.…”

Are Rural Students Receiving FAPE? A Descriptive Review of IEPs for Students With Social, Emotional, or Behavioral Needs

“…These schools are responsible for serving 19% of elementary and secondary students (National Center for Education Statistics, 2016). Rural special education teachers have many strengths including (a) stronger partnerships with parents during the IEP process than their suburban and urban colleagues (Williams-Diehm, Brandes, Chesnut, & Haring, 2014), (b) implementing creative interventions and supports (Huscroft-D’Angelo, January, & Duppong Hurley, 2018), and (c) unique skills and opportunities (Collins, Leahy, & Ault, 2017). However, despite these strengths, they face many barriers to IEP development and implementation.…”

The Founding, Evolution, and Impact of the American Council on Rural Special Education

“…Another similar direction would be to present more at national conferences and explore forming a rural SIG with the CEC. Collins, Leahy, and Ault (2017) described the importance of individuals, other than higher education faculty, becoming active in professional organizations to expand their influence beyond their local areas to state and national levels.…”