The author's daughter has an autism spectrum disorder, as well as numerous other medical conditions. Like all parents of kids with special needs, she has spent enormous amounts of time and energy on hospital stays, therapies, and advocacy. She has also taken some time to participate in research. First and foremost, she wants to be aware of the…

Today, there are more program options in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) than ever before. Because people are living in an age of increasing globalization, advocates of gifted children must understand that involvement in STEM fields is paramount for the children to be competitive in the job market and for the nation to…

The "Brown v. Board of Education" decision provided unrestricted access to educational opportunities for all students. Unfortunately, despite the passing of the 50th anniversary of this landmark decision, academic excellence remains a dream deferred for many Black students when compared to their peers. This disparity, more popularly known as the…

Guided by symbolic interactionism, this qualitative study based on interviews with 83 rural mothers investigated mothers' perceptions of nonresident fathers' involvement in low-income families. Contrary to some fathers' claims that mothers "gatekeep" their access to children, the majority of mothers in our study wanted increased father…

Female professional athletes are earning more than ever before and projections suggest opportunities will continue to increase. Salary differentials between male and female tennis and golf professionals are made. Product endorsement income is discussed. Steps coaches, parents, counselors, and colleges should take in guiding females toward…

Teaching parents, colleagues, and community members what happens in music programs is one way to encourage them to more actively support music education. Impressions of music education are often formed in a performance-based context. What people see at a performance--the band playing expressively in tune and in time, the lovely blending and…

This article describes the Social Security Administration's PASS (Plan for Achieving Self Support) program which is intended to assist persons with disabilities to achieve economic independence. The program allows Supplemental Security Income recipients to set aside funds to pay expenses required to reach a specific employment goal. (DB)

Increasing numbers of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are completing high school with standard diplomas, and it is imperative that educators explore all of the available postsecondary settings in which these students may be successful. Although college settings may not be the focus of transition efforts for many students…

This article, in the form of a letter from the parent of a teenager to parents of younger children with disabilities, encourages parents to take advantage of integrated educational opportunities for their children. Negative aspects of segregated education are illustrated with examples from the teenager's life. (DB)

This study surveyed 86 parents who enrolled their children in a Chinese-English bilingual preschool in San Francisco. The participants were asked their opinions on bilingual education, the reasons for sending their children to a Chinese-English bilingual school, their attitudes toward bilingual education, their use of Chinese and English, and…

A blind individual offers career education guidelines concerning helping blind children make realistic vocational choices, providing job awareness, setting up work-experience programs, and developing special job-seeking skills. (DB)

This article presents an excerpt of a declaration from the United States Department of Education's "Strategic Plan: 2002-2007." The declaration signifies in no uncertain terms that the battle waged by critics of alternative research methods continues, and is likely to intensify. The denigration of research methods which decline to adhere…

Parents struggle with kindergarten readiness, seeking advice from early childhood educators. The author offers suggestions for helping with this decision, along with definitions of readiness, accountability pressures, and "redshirting." The article compares maturationist assumptions with current research, concluding that delaying kindergarten…

Continues the argument against tracking and ability grouping in schools. Traces circumstances and beliefs leading to this system of handling student diversity and shows how these factors obstruct schools' efforts to achieve two highly valued goals: academic excellence and equal opportunity. Suggests alternative approaches. (MLH)

Parents of disabled children throughout the country are organizing to find appropriate employment opportunities for their children by: writing proposals and obtaining funding for employment programs; improving in- school vocational programs for special needs students; advocating earlier vocational education; preparing work settings for supported…