One of nine competency-based training modules for personnel preparation in early childhood special education, this guide focuses on planning preschool programs. All modules are adaptable for use with a general audience, direct service personnel, or administrators and are based on the following principles: developmentally appropriate practice;…

The guide, intended to help teachers, parents, and community workers throughout the world develop educational services to visually handicapped students in ordinary schools, has been published in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese. The first three chapters provide general information concerning types of educational programs for the…

A survey of curriculum and instructional practices in high school classrooms (N=151) in 82 school districts serving seriously emotionally disturbed (SED) and emotionally disturbed/learning disabled students in Virginia was conducted for the purpose of identifying the roles, responsibilities, and teaching skills for which SED teachers need to be…

The role of teachers serving as policy board members of the Metrolina Educational Consortium (MEC) in North Carolina is discussed. The MEC is concerned with teacher education programs and is composed of classroom teachers, college representatives, local education agency staff, and state education department staff. The board members are mandated to…

The study evaluated the referral for special education services of the Austin (Texas) Independent School District. Recommendations were made for streamlining the process, for improving the communication/interaction between regular and special education teachers, and for classroom instruction. Study results included the finding that referral is a…

With the advent of Public Law 99-457, special educators may be expected to observe and/or serve on Hospital Ethics Committees (HECs) in order to better assist families who have seriously ill and handicapped infants and children. Issues considered by such committees include alternative viewpoints on infant euthanasia and their right to life, the…

This study examined adult attitudes toward infants labeled premature. Fifty-two subjects, including infant specialists, experienced special educators, and preservice special educators, viewed a videotape of 9-month-old infants, each labeled full-term or preterm and male or female. A questionnaire administered after viewing the videotape rated each…

This guide deals with issues of recruitment and retention of both regular and special educators, and emphasizes the need for school administrators to upgrade or establish formalized recruitment programs. Factors impacting on teacher recruitment and retention include education reform, societal changes, demographic factors, personnel shortages, and…

Two behavioral interventions (social reinforcement and token economy) and two cognitive-behavioral interventions (self-monitoring of work completed and academic self-instructional training) were rated by 203 special education teachers for acceptability at both mild and severe levels of academic and behavioral problems. Hypothetical case studies…

A study was conducted to determine special educators' sense of concern or awareness about ethnic/multicultural issues. A questionnaire, sent to 1,000 members of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), achieved only a 17.5% response rate but was felt to represent adequately the entire group. Respondents were asked their opinions regarding the…

The Archaeology and African Cultures program was a collaborative effort among the New York City Public Schools' Division of Curriculum and Instruction and four New York City museums. The program was designed to provide teachers of the gifted and talented with a rigourous series of seminars in the field of archaeology as well as on each museum's…

Challenges faced by student teachers working with deaf and hard of hearing students are discussed, with suggestions for supervisors and mentors interested in making student teaching less stressful and more productive. Recommendations focus on reflective practice, pursuit of teachable moments, role clarification, and careful attention to the…

This discussion of collaborative training of early childhood educators promotes increased collaboration between regular and special early childhood educators. It examines teacher competencies in curriculum, class management, professional consultation and collaboration, teacher-family relationships, child-child interactions, exceptional children,…

Needs identified by special education teachers and school administrators (n=76) in nine school districts concerning implementation of life-centered career education (LCCE) included increasing administrative commitment to LCCE, involving teachers in developing and delivering LCCE instruction, and increasing intraschool and interagency coordination…

This proceedings document from a conference on the Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD), which is authorized by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), offers perspectives provided by Martha J. Fields and Thomas Hehir, on reauthorization of the IDEA. A discussion of the topic of paradigm shifts in staff development…