Preferred Name
Madeline Bishop
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Date of Graduation
8-2026
Semester of Graduation
Summer
Degree Name
Educational Specialist (EdS)
Department
Department of Graduate Psychology
First Advisor
Deborah Kipps-Vaughan
Second Advisor
Tiffany Hornsby
Third Advisor
Tammy Gilligan
Abstract
Parents of children enrolled in special education programs often face unique challenges, particularly in rural settings where access to resources and communication with school personnel can be limited. This systematized review explores how rural school systems can best support parents during the special education process. A systematized review of articles published between 2005 and 2025 was conducted. A thematic analysis of 20 articles revealed 3 themes following the review: benefits and barriers to rural special education, professional relationships, and parents’ strain and appreciation. Overall findings highlight the importance of the experiences between parents and school personnel regarding special education. Limited resources and communication, negative experiences with school staff, difficult transitions from Part C to Part B services, and parents’ negative self-perceptions were all barriers that negatively impacted parents’ experiences with rural special education. Conversely, consistent and positive communication and collaboration and the cost effectiveness of school-based services were points of gratitude for parents. This systematized review strives to bring increased attention to the importance of early experiences between parents and school staff, while also highlighting recommendations parents provide that rural school systems can adopt to enhance parent experiences.
