This review of the literature focused on the issue of classroom application of social skills training for handicapped children. First, ten theoretical models are described as representative of the approaches to social skills training in special education: behavioral, humanist, psychological, transactional, neuropsychological, ecological,…

Summaries are presented of more than 60 key federal laws pertaining to the legal rights and benefits available to persons with disabilities. The laws are organized into general subject areas, including: education, employment, health, housing, income maintenance, nutrition, rights, social services, transportation, and vocational rehabilitation. The…

A comparative analysis evaluated three studies that dealt with the differences among five-year-olds that should be considered before reading instruction is initiated in kindergarten. The premise of the comparison was that children from different countries (especially Israel, where these studies were conducted), have different abilities, react…

The Alaska School Effectiveness Project produced several reports in a series of reviews of research literature on such topics as the participation of parents in the education of their children. Using an ERIC search and conventional library methods, the question raised was, "Do programs which involve parents in the education of their children…

Barriers to providing an appropriate public education to all children with handicaps are analyzed, and promising practices are identified to counter the effect of each. Nonbiased assessment procedures, vocational or educational curricula, and related services are seen as critical aspects in overcoming technological barriers, while attitude…

The third of four documents reviews research on assessment in three domains (receptive language skills, expressive language skills, and perceptual and cognitive processes) as the most likely to predict subsequent language development of young children who have yet to speak their first word. Section II focuses on assessment of hearing sensitivity…

This paper provides an overview of Fast ForWord, a CD-ROM and Internet-based training program for children (pre-K to grade 8) with language and reading problems that helps children rapidly build oral language comprehension and other critical skills necessary for learning to read or becoming a better reader. With the help of computers, speech…

Encouraged by evidence linking quality early care/education programs and improved student outcomes, a variety of school readiness programs and initiatives have been created. This report reviews and synthesizes evaluation studies conducted on early childhood interventions, focusing on programs emphasizing a school readiness goal. The report…

Discusses the development of identity and socially biased attitudes in young children and adolescents. By the time a child is nine years old, biased attitudes tend to stay constant unless there is a life-changing event. The importance of a coherent multicultural curriculum from earliest day care is emphasized. (SLD)

Reviews the literature supporting cooperative learning as a means to promote social and cognitive growth among handicapped children in a classroom environment. In an analysis of three studies, cooperative learning strategies were shown to increase the chance that mainstreamed children would be accepted by classmates and show positive gains in…

Young children with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) of perinatal origin often present with increasing medical and developmental problems after the first half year of life. Most eventually require foster care; some are integrated in intervention or preschool services; others are in segregated educational programs. Family supports and specialized…

Describes several preschool, elementary, and high school Maori immersion and bilingual programs in New Zealand, focusing on how the programs define and establish Maori space in the schools, local and tribal concerns, and the basis for the revitalization of the language. (29 references) (Author/CB)

Reviews the advantages and disadvantages of the use of DISTAR, a highly structured direct instruction program used to teach basic skills to disadvantaged preschool children. (FMW)

Reviews more than three decades of empirical research pertaining to the hypothesized influence of parent-preschooler reading experiences on the development of language and literacy skills. Discusses implications of the findings for theory and research on literacy acquisition, for educational practice, and for parental guidance. (TJQ)

Attributes comparative policy inattention to linguistically and culturally diverse preschoolers to several causes including widely held personal beliefs, political ideologies, misperceptions about demographics, and academic disciplinary fragmentation. Explores the current state of today's practice and suggests four fundamental issues that must be…