A Program for Preparing Teachers To Serve Handicapped Migrant Students in Rural Areas.

Overview & Synopsis

Although children of migrant workers tend to have low educational achievement, there is a surprising lack of data concerning educational challenges faced by handicapped migrant children. It is often a teacher's advocacy that results in a student's enrollment in special education services. This paper describes a Florida program for training special educators as advocates for handicapped migrant children. The training program provides instruction in competencies for teachers serving mild and moderately handicapped migrant students in rural areas, and includes components in other related fields. Course content is divided into three areas of competency development: (1) assessment of academic performance, behavior, and vocational interest; (2) intervention through individualized instruction and transition-to-work plans; and (3) cultural understanding. The effectiveness of the training program is evaluated through Q-sort methodology coupled with frequency data. A list of the training program's 25 competencies is included. (TES)