Formalized education has been around for a long time and the role of the parents has been to facilitate their child's academic success. The quality of parenting can vary widely. This study will explore parental involvement in their special needs child's educational process. More specifically, parental involvement with special needs children in a rural school district is the focus explored in the south western New York quadrant of Chautauqua County. Using Baumrind's (1967) research on parenting styles as a framework, the purpose of study is to (a) investigate the styles of parental involvement with children of special needs in rural elementary schools, (b) determine if there are specific challenges for parents of special needs children in these rural schools, and (c) determine if any additional responsibilities exist specific to these parents of special needs children in a rural school setting. According to Blancher (2003), the family is one of the most sacred, prominent and studied institutions in America. Although research is limited in the area of parental involvement with Special Education children in a rural community, this study will discuss the involvement of parents in a multifaceted set of focus group discussions from specific behaviors that emerge from four parenting styles (Baumrind, 1967). In light of this limited research, Epstein (1995) states that research does document that children will try harder when parents get involved with their child's education. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]