This study compared the perceptions of 87 practicing and preservice special education teachers and 100 employers concerning critical factors for job success. Educators rank ordered the four job skill categories as work related, social, communication, and personal, whereas employers' rankings were work related, communication, personal, and social.…

The head of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services urges special educators to remain committed to quality educational services, to serve as leaders in the regular education reform called for in the national education strategy "America 2000," and to recruit special education personnel representing diverse ethnic and…

Explains the basics of World Wide Web (WWW) connectivity: the types of hardware needed to access the WWW; Internet service providers; and Internet browsers, the software used to make the WWW available to users. Following the article is a WWW self-assessment skill check list. (CR)

This guidebook for California teachers of gifted students discusses common issues and concerns, suggests solutions, and identifies resources. Part 1, in question and answer format, covers: characteristics of gifted students, identification, curriculum and instruction, classroom management, special challenges, characteristics of teachers of gifted…

Strategies for teacher retention are presented, including successful approaches and elements for operating a state system for personnel recruitment and retention in special education. Such initiatives as the Utah Mentor Teacher Academy; the Texas Teacher Recruitment, Retention and Assistance Program; and the Kansas Recruitment/Retention Project…

This guide presents a collection of ideas for activities to encourage students and other individuals to explore careers in special education and related services. After a brief introduction, activities to increase disability awareness are described. These include: a disability awareness day/week, a work day, a social event, child care, a buddy…

Phase I of this study sought to identify the specific social skills that 21 teachers of students with serious emotional disturbances (SED) and nine regular education teachers deemed as essential for successful classroom functioning. Subjects were asked to list such behaviors in four categories: environmental behaviors, interpersonal behaviors,…

Collaborative consultation is presented as a model for vocational education programming for mildly handicapped adolescents, in which the teacher-consultant and the parent-consultee cooperatively solve problems through their shared expertise. A nine-step behavioral consultation model is described which facilitates collaborative consultation between…

Intended for all those working with handicapped children, the manual provides guidelines for the understanding and implementation of P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. Chapter 1 contains an introduction to the highlights of the law and a statement of what is required of the educational community for compliance. The next…

The document summarizes results of a project to help design effective in-service training programs for regular and special class teachers dealing with students with learning disabilities (LD). Feedback from participants in inservice programs offered by the Learning Centre in Alberta (Canada) suggests the importance of better identification of…

For a mainstreaming program to be effective, students should be able to experience success in a regular classroom with the enhanced self-image that accompanies a positive experience. Maximizing classroom accommodations for learning disabled students can help improve these students' access to educational opportunities and increase the probability…

Discusses profound effect PL 99-457 will have upon rural school districts as they attempt to comply by providing adequate services to handicapped youngsters from birth to age five. Addresses shortage of qualified teachers, coordination and funding of services, opportunities for interagency collaboration, incentives to serve, and preparation…

This book provides a comprehensive examination of advocacy by special education professionals, with information from related fields integrated in order to identify essential advocacy competencies for special educators. Unique features of the book include advocacy vignettes integrated throughout the book, as well as "advocacy anecdotes" and…

This study explored variables differentiating more and less effective teachers (N=24) of mildly retarded and learning-disabled elementary students. Personal/educational variables proved insignificant. Effective teachers conducted activities in the classroom, made frequent use of teacher questioning, limited independent seatwork (especially silent…

This paper provides an overview of collaborative consultation, a service delivery model emphasizing mediated joint problem-solving efforts between individuals from different fields. Of special emphasis is the role of teachers of mainstreamed hearing-impaired students in providing ongoing support to regular classroom teachers, speech-language…