Service Delivery and Instructional Programming in Rural, Suburban, and Urban Secondary Special Education: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

In this exploratory study, the intersection of curriculum and instructional environments for secondary students with mild mental impairment and learning disabilities was examined with respect to school location—rural, urban, or suburban. A survey was mailed to 378 secondary special education teachers in Michigan. Findings revealed differences exist in the curricular options and instructional environments available to students in different settings. Rural schools were more likely to offer the same curriculum and instructional environments to students with mild mental impairment and learning disabilities. However, rural schools were not more similar to urban schools across curriculum options or instructional environments for either population, which contradicted findings from the general education research.