This exploratory qualitative case study investigated rural K-8 special education teacher perceptions of their positional status as special education teachers who co-teach with their regular education peers. Four special education teachers participated in journal prompts, one-on-one interviews, and a focus group interview. The conceptual lens for this study was taken from Phyllis Jones' (2004) adaptation of Snow and Anderson's (2002) framework of "social identity" and "embracement." Through this framework, two major themes emerged: special education teachers perceived their positional status as a co-teacher in a K-8 rural school as lower on the educational hierarchy than that of their regular education co-teachers and special education teachers perceived their positional status as a co-teacher in a K-8 rural school as being disconnected from their regular education peers. This study recommends that teachers should participate in professional development related to co-teaching prior to implementation of the co-taught model. They should continue to attend co-teaching in-service throughout the tenure of the team. Additionally, administrators should attend professional development in the areas of co-teaching and basic special education methodology. They should be well versed in special education mandates and offer continued support to the co-teachers by providing equal opportunities for both teachers to attend professional development, and in ensuring the equity of resources including providing each teacher with a desk, related materials, class lists, phone lists and report cards of all of the students in the co-taught classroom. Additionally, regular education teachers should attend professional development in the area of special education. They should be knowledgeable in accommodating and modifying curriculum and providing behavioral support for all students in the classroom. Moreover, regular education teachers should be able to assist in the writing of the Individual Education Plans, understand how to write goals and objectives and implement data to monitor individual student growth. Future research should focus on regular education teacher's perception of their expectations of the responsibilities of the students, both special education and regular education, within the co-taught classroom. A case study within a co-taught classroom conducted over an extended period of time would be beneficial in observing the relationship between the general education teacher and the students with special needs in comparison to the relationship between the general education teacher and the students without disabilities. Additionally, future quantitative research should investigate the relationship between administrative support and the co-teaching programming. These studies should examine if administrators who are certified in special education have a higher rate of special education teacher efficacy than those administrators without special education certifications as it was found in this study that administration plays a key role in successful outcomes of the co-taught model. [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.]