[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-602162-105":59,"doc-detail-602162-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","rural-leaders-experiences-implementing-fape-for-students-with-intellectual-disabilities","Rural Leaders’ Experiences Implementing FAPE for Students with Intellectual Disabilities","","Rural school principals play a central instructional leadership role in ensuring students with intellectual disabilities receive an appropriate education through FAPE. This qualitative phenomenological study involved eight principals from remote rural districts to document lived experiences implementing FAPE and supporting IEP-based services. Findings indicate principals were not professionally prepared and lacked confidence to implement FAPE for students with intellectual disabilities, relying heavily on special education teachers. The work outlines legal context (IDEA, LRE) and highlights how remote-rural responsibilities and limited resources affect leadership and teacher retention.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/rural-leaders-experiences-implementing-fape-for-students-with-intellectual-disabilities/602162/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/rural-leaders-experiences-implementing-fape-for-students-with-intellectual-disabilities/602162.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"acoobca","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-31","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":44},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What was the purpose of the study?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The study gathered rural school principals’ experiences implementing FAPE for students with intellectual disabilities in remote rural districts in a midwestern state.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What does FAPE mean for students with disabilities?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"FAPE is a free and appropriate public education provided through an individualized education program (IEP) designed to meet each student’s needs and provide meaningful educational benefit.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What did the study find about principals’ preparation and confidence?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Principals were not professionally prepared to provide FAPE for students with intellectual disabilities, were not confident in doing so, and depended heavily on special education teachers to understand and comply with educational mandates.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},602162,1792120038,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":44,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145},3985747870733,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd","Rural Leaders’ Experiences Implementing FAPE for Students with  \nIntellectual Disabilities  \nJessica Vogel  \nNorthern State University  \nErin Lehmann  \nUniversity of South Dakota  \nSusan Curtin  \nUniversity of South Dakota  \nCarly Retterath  \nUniversity of South Dakota  \nTo provide effective rural leadership and ensure students with intellectual disabilities are receiving an appropriate education, principals must understand the substantial needs of these students. Eight principals of remote rural school districts, with at least one year of leadership experience participated in this phenomenological study. Based on the findings, principals are not professionally prepared to provide FAPE for students with intellectual disabilities, nor are they confident in their ability to do so and rely heavily on their special education teachers to comprehend and comply with educational mandates.  \nKeywords: rural school leadership, FAPE, intellectual disabilities  \nEducation Leadership Review of Doctoral Research, Volume 10, Fall 2022 31  \nStudents who are eligible to receive special education and related services are entitled to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) . FAPE entitles all students ages 3 to 21 with a disability that impedes their learning to an individualized education program (IEP), that is designed to meet their individual needs to receive meaningful educational benefit. The concept of FAPE was first introduced into federal legislation through the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. Since then, the law has transformed to establish and refine the rights and responsibilities associated through FAPE and is now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (McKenna & Brigham, 2021) .  \nOften, building principals are tasked with the instructional leadership responsibilities of ensuring students who qualify for special education receive an individualized program in the least restrictive environment (LRE) . IDEA requires students who qualify for an IEP to participate with their peers in the general education setting to the maximum extent that is appropriate (IDEA, 2004) . LRE ensures students are only removed from the general education classroom when the child’s disability is so severe that classroom supplementary aids and services cannot provide the child with an appropriate education, and a special class or school is required to meet the student’s individual needs (IDEA, 2004) . Critics have argued that principal preparation programs inadequately prepare principals to be instructional leaders for special education (Crow & Whiteman, 2016; Lynch, 2012; Young et al., 2009) .  \nRemote school principals face additional challenges as they are expected to undertake a multitude of instruction, managerial, and supervisory responsibilities that may differ from their urban school district peers (Klocko & Justis, 2019) . In addition, many remote rural school principals have additional work assignments that may include serving as the principal to more than one school, teaching part of the day, or serving as the superintendent or special education director (Cortez-Jimmenez, 2012; Masumoto & Browne-Welty, 2009; Renihan & Noonan, 2012) .  \nInsufficient leadership preparation can have significant ramifications for remote school districts, in which, special education teacher retention rates are low, and special education program numbers are high (Collins et al., 2005; Courtade et al., 2010) . Special education teachers in remote rural areas are most likely to leave their teaching position for a job in a more populated area in which they have significantly more resources, collegial support, and higher pay (Downing & Peckham-Hardin, 2007) .  \nPurpose of Study  \nThe purpose of this phenomenological study was to gather rural school principals' experiences implementing FAPE for students with intellectual disabilities in remote school districts in a midwest state. A remote rural school district is defined as a ","cbCaiq9Zj5XaDHMi","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiq9Zj5XaDHMi","pdf",211668,17,"English","# Purpose of Study\n## FAPE and IDEA background\n## LRE and instructional leadership responsibilities\n## Remote rural principal challenges\n## Study rationale and research gap","[{\"question\":\"What was the purpose of the study?\",\"answer\":\"The study gathered rural school principals’ experiences implementing FAPE for students with intellectual disabilities in remote rural districts in a midwestern state.\"},{\"question\":\"What does FAPE mean for students with disabilities?\",\"answer\":\"FAPE is a free and appropriate public education provided through an individualized education program (IEP) designed to meet each student’s needs and provide meaningful educational benefit.\"},{\"question\":\"What did the study find about principals’ preparation and confidence?\",\"answer\":\"Principals were not professionally prepared to provide FAPE for students with intellectual disabilities, were not confident in doing so, and depended heavily on special education teachers to understand and comply with educational mandates.\"}]","Rural Leaders’ Experiences Implementing FAPE for Students with Intellectual Disabilities | PDF",1792094140,43]