Blazing New Trails - Connexions

CRITICAL ISSUES IN CRITICAL ISSUES IN SHARED LEADERSHIP
The Administration of Special Education Programs in Rural Schools:
The Roles and Responsibilities of Educational Administrators
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Michael K. Redburn
William Ruff
Superintendents and principals are responsible to ensure the learning of all students
within school districts and schools including meeting the educational requirements of special
needs students (Hansen, 2007; Patterson, 2001). Such responsibility requires administrators to
be knowledgeable in effective instructional practices which facilitate the achievement of a
diverse student population. Patterson, Bowling, and Marshall (2000) identified special
education program implementation challenges, such as appropriate Individual Education Plan
(IEP) committee compositions, inconsistent service delivery decisions across schools,
interschool isolation, deflection of advocates, and policy guidance problems. Both Osborne
(1993) and DiPaola and Walther-Thomas (2006) described effective management practices
for special education programs. Yet, such research on the administrator’s role in the
administration of special education programs focuses on generic practices in urban contexts
more extensively than the role in rural settings (Lamkin, 2006; Wilson, 1982). Wilson (1982)
found a paucity of resource material specifically for rural principals. While Hesbol (2005)
confirmed the consistent role conflict that is inherent in dual role positions as found in
superintendent/principalships, Lochry (1998) found that multi-role rural school administrators
saw themselves predominantly involved in overlapping district and site duties and
responsibilities. Lamkin (2006) reported the challenges to rural superintendents in five areas:
school law, finance, personnel, government mandates, and district/board policy. Dunlop
(2006) found that small school superintendents participated in a wide range of responsibilities
that, in larger districts, were handled by specialized personnel.
Finally, other research has focused on the need for increased preparation of school
administrators specifically in the area of providing full educational access to special needs
students (Caddell, 2007; Lasky & Karge, 2006; Rodriquez, 2007). Caddell (2007) called for
more training for principals in the administration of Section 504, whereas Rodriquez (2007)
and Lasky and Karge (2006) noted the need for increased training in pre-service
administrative programs in the area of special education. However, beyond these studies and
the many references in the research literature to the lack of qualified teachers, especially
special education teachers (Hutchinson-Page, 2004; Hodge, 2007; United States Department
of Labor, 2010), little is written about the administration of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA) in America’s rural or small schools. An early exception was found in
Helge’s (1981) report, The State of the Art of Rural Special Education. She noted, “Little data
collection occurred concerning rural education or rural special education until the late 1970s”
(p. 9). This status report was limited to reporting statistics on numbers of special needs
students and teachers and the need for greater teacher training and did not look at the
administrative functions of rural school special education programs nor the circumstances and
Michael K. Redburn, Montana State University
William Ruff, Montana State University