A systematic process for developing special services cooperatives in rural school districts

Abstract

A Systematic Process for Developing Special Service Cooperatives in Rural School Districts Lois Widvey Carl E. Edeburn Robert S. Ristow South Dakota State University Brookings, South Dakota Problems created when small rural districts attempt to meet the general educational needs of students involve curriculum, financing, staffing, scheduling and trensportation, and these problems are compounded when dealing with programs for the handicapped and eifted. The development of educational service cooperatives is a must if small, rural school systems are to provide the essential services needed for quality education. The authors designed a needs assessment model to establish the existing status and requirements of general and special education in eight small rural districts which were interested in forming an educational cooperative. Additional emphasis was placed upon potenttal expansion areas which would improve services beyond minimum requirements as established by state law. In accomplishing this, the authors (a) synthesized the major areas or need into workable components, (b) resigned a needs assessment instrument based upon these components, (c) identified a balanced sample of educators, parents, and board members to respond to tha instruemnt, and (d) analyzed the responses and summarized the findings. The process that was the focus of the study served to provide a viable, systematic means to analyse thpercepLion of a sample of all members of a school district, with the results r ilyzed in a succinct manner that provided the administrators with the necessary data for the establishment and expansion of educational service cooperatives.