The geographic, enviornmental, and demographic conditions in Alaska create extreme difficulties for rural small school teachers who must cope with students with abilities ranging from gifted to retarded. Mainstreaming is taken for granted in Alaska where program development to aid rural teachers in providing special education services to their handicapped students has been slow and inadequate. Centralized approaches to program development (under the umbrellas of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Alaska State Operated School System, and the Rural Education Attendance Areas) have offered training seminars for teaching aides, itinerant resource teachers, specialists and teachers in special education, materials development, and diagnostic services. Local approaches have revolved around two models, the full district model, such as that in use in the large Iditarod School District, and the itinerant model, in which special education teachers visit village schools to monitor the program and provide guidance and resources for the responsible teaching aide. While training in Alaska is limited, rural teachers and aides can receive pre- and inservice training through the following agencies: the Department of Education (direct services to handicapped students, inservice programs), the University of Alaska main campuses (special education certification for teachers, inservice programs), the University of Alaska main campuses (special education certification for teachers, inservice programs), and the community colleges (paraprofessional preparation for aides). (SB)