This book proposes that, by becoming special, Great Britain's ordinary schools can move closer to meeting the individual needs of all children. It outlines the practical steps that need to be taken if ordinary schools are to meet the special educational needs of children. It addresses such issues as: the reason for a system of segregated special…

This book explores the questions that arise as a result of the increasing awareness in U.S. society about equality issues. The book suggests that it is vitally important that children be alerted to the ways in which literature may convey prejudice. It is not possible, and it may not even be desirable, to insulate children from any possible…

Based on a nationwide survey of more than 1,000 adolescents 13 to 17 years old and drawing on the experiences of the 17-year-old author, this book explores social labeling and what it means to adolescents. The book is presented in three parts. Part 1, "What's in a Label?" explains what labels are and how they develop. Part 2, "How…

The model minority image of Asian Americans authorizes the flat denial of racism and structures of racial dominance and silences those who are not economically successful. This book explores how young people incorporate, interpret, and make meaning of the "model minority" stereotype in the context of their lived experience in school and…

The preponderance of scholarly theory and research on stereotypes assumes that they are bad and inaccurate, but understanding stereotype accuracy and inaccuracy is more interesting and complicated than simpleminded accusations of racism or sexism would seem to imply. The selections in this collection explore issues of the accuracy of stereotypes…

This volume offers 12 readings which attempt to synthesize key ideas underlying a shift toward functional and noncategorical approaches to special education in light of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997. The chapters are: (1) "Origins of Categorical Special Education Services in Schools and a Rationale for…

This book offers case studies, observations, and practical, culturally responsive solutions to the challenges presented by diversity in the classroom. By telling stories and asking questions, the book explains that progress is slow-moving and that quality, equity, and fair, appropriate treatment are often very hard to find, even in good schools.…

This book tells the stories of eight people with above average to highly gifted levels of intellect, who also have significant, previously unrecognized and undiagnosed, learning disabilities. Their discovery of their true abilities and gifts after years of humiliation within the educational system and the trials of daily life is detailed. The…

This book examines critical issues in classification and definition of learning disabilities; the development of theory in learning disabilities; the development of cognitive, developmental, and educational models of learning disabilities; and social and public policy in learning disabilities. After an introductory chapter by G. Reid Lyon and…

This book contends that the American public education system has made "black male" synonymous with "disabled" through the creation of the labels "Behavior Disorders" and "Emotional Disorders." These labels, which say that African American boys cannot behave without special treatment, juvenile probation, and,…

This book provides information for elementary and secondary teachers about autism and classroom techniques for teaching students with autism in inclusive classrooms. The text consists of 12 chapters, each concerned with a different school issue/structure. Chapter 1 outlines definitions of autism and attempts to illustrate how autism is experienced…

This book describes the outcomes of a comparative study that brought together an international team of researchers from eight countries (United States, Scotland, New Zealand, Norway, the Netherlands, Ireland, Australia, and England). The purpose of the study was to develop case studies that would explore the process of inclusion and exclusion…

Noting that the collective stories of special education have grown out of a tradition that, by its nature tends to perpetuate problems, this book examines such narratives and how they influence thinking and belief about intelligence and learning. It begins by examining how the current story of intelligence developed and illustrates some of the…

Little is known about the effects of schooling on parents, especially on those with children who struggle in school. Drawing on a series of interviews with parents, this book provides an insider's view of what happens at home when school goes wrong. The stories in this book reveal that school troubles threaten the happiness and self-esteem of…

This book is the product of a forum titled New Research Directions and Paradigms, held at the Congress of the International Association for the Scientific Study of Mental Deficiency in Australia in August 1992. The book presents 13 chapters, all written within a critical paradigm for disability research which critiques the reification of…