ABSTRACT
The rural state-of-affairs in education seem to be absent from national discussions about education in general, and special education in particular. The availability of an adequate supply of qualified and appropriately trained personnel is one key component of the rural special education dilemma. Personnel supply and demand in special education is a growing concern for state education agencies, institutions of higher education, and local school systems in rural states. Rural schools require an adequate supply of trained and certified professionals to meet the demand for teachers and other specialists to staff special education programs. Institutions of higher education have initiated more aggressive efforts to recruit students for special education training programs. The retention of special education professionals has also been a persistent problem in rural school systems. Insuring and maintaining the quality of special education personnel represents another challenge for the nation's rural schools. Rural special educators confront unique constraints in meeting the requirements of students with special needs.
