The topic of special education can be confusing and frightening for parents who suspect their child has a disability or has difficulty learning. Parents in this situation want to know how to get help for their child. This guide is intended as a reference for people who have questions about special education for a child. It summarizes the basic…

New Jersey's early learning system is poised for change. The momentum for providing an aligned and coordinated system of early education is building. Yet, in order for such a system to successfully come to fruition, advocates the author, more work is needed. Collaboration between the state's Division of Early Childhood Education (DECE),…

Research indicates that state pre-k programs with higher teacher qualification requirements improve children's school readiness so states get the most out of their investment in early education. This 2010 report, authored by Marisa Bueno, Linda Darling-Hammond and Danielle Gonzales, reviewed research on training for pre-k teachers and concluded…

The paper describes the New Jersey Child Find project, a program to locate and identify all unserved handicapped children between the ages of 0 and 21 years. Noted are four project objectives (such as conducting community awareness campaigns), background of the project (including early efforts to identify handicapped children as a result of a…

The "Preschool Teaching and Learning Expectations: Standards of Quality" sets a standard for preschool learning outcomes and serves as a benchmark for determining how effectively the classroom curriculum is being implemented. It provides the focus for curriculum determination and instruction for all preschool children ages three and…

This article describes the Language Interaction Intervention Program (LIIP) used in preschool classes for handicapped children in central New Jersey. Covered are the LIIP curriculum rationale, the LIIP model, the original evaluation study, and a replication study showing the program was effectively replicated with mothers appropriately changing…

This New Jersey survey found that 67 teachers of preschool handicapped children were more stringent in their perceptions of the skills necessary for mainstreaming in kindergarten than were 63 kindergarten teachers. The survey also found that different instructional strategies were used by the two teacher groups. (Author/JDD)

The New Jersey Supreme Court's 1998 ruling in Abbott v. Burke represents the first judicial directive in the nation that public education must include a high-quality, well-planned preschool program starting at age three. This decision applies to 30 urban school districts, known as the Abbott districts, that serve approximately 25 percent of the…

This volume describes 232 projects funded by the Nutrition Education and Training Program of the New Jersey State Department of Education between 1979 and 1980. Broad in scope and diversity, the programs represent an effort to fulfill the needs of children, with primary school students receiving the most attention. Of the 232 programs carried to…

This guide to including children with special needs in community programs in New Jersey begins with a history of the inclusion movement, stressing the importance of personal experiences and beliefs and ways in which inclusion benefits everyone. The following chapter provides answers to 32 frequently asked questions on successful inclusion of…

This booklet on the rights of New Jersey's special needs students and their parents begins with general suggestions on learning about the child's condition and working with school personnel. The booklet outlines conditions that are defined as handicapping and then discusses such rights as the right to a free and appropriate public education,…

"Camden Kids Count 2004" provides a snapshot of child well-being in one of New Jersey's most impoverished cities, in the hopes of helping both city and state policymakers make use of limited resources to help New Jersey's neediest children. Here are some major findings documented in this report: (1) Thirty-five percent of Camden's…