This article proposes the professional integration of early childhood special education and early childhood education. Commonalities in the areas of policy, professional practice, and the importance of flexible child-centered and family-centered services are noted. Unification would improve service delivery, increase integration, and result in…

This paper reviews the process-product literature on effective teaching and suggests a conceptual framework focusing on teacher behaviors associated with development of higher-order thinking and problem-solving abilities. These behaviors involve, among others, embedding instruction in meaningful and purposive activities and promoting classroom…

This article discusses the prevalence of youth with behavioral disorders in correctional settings and reviews issues related to schooling, programing, teacher training, and teacher supply and demand. It notes that increasingly violent, antisocial, and culturally diverse incarcerated youth are expected, requiring special teachers who are both well…

This article describes Yugoslavia's education system, health and welfare services for children with disabilities, the nature and organization of special education services, the integration of disabled children in ordinary schools, models for training special educators, and problems. (DB)

Special-education teachers (N=673) rank-ordered recommendations for improving communication between teachers and parents concerning homework for students with disabilities. Results support the importance of general educators and parents monitoring homework, provision of opportunities for parents and teachers to communicate, exploration of…

This article first defines instructional technology and provides examples for early childhood special education in general, identifies current issues in higher education, and then identifies specific instructional designs, strategies, and media applications for persons involved in early childhood special education personnel preparation. (Contains…

A review of programs supported under the federal Alliance 2000 Project stresses the value of a variety of models for the preparation of special education personnel to meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students with disabilities. (DB)

In this response to an article that explores the practice of social inquiry in professional work by drawing from the democratic ethics of John Dewey (Danforth, 2001), tensions, unresolved issues, and seeming paradoxes in Dewey's thinking are discussed. The value of multi-perspective and multi-voiced inquiry is emphasized. (Contains references.)…

Reflections on the field of special education find a continuing gap between research and practice, especially in serving students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders. It urges increasing public awareness of the reality of emotional and behavioral disorders, improving special education teacher training and establishing professional…

The attrition rate of 1st-year special education teachers is a mounting concern. Researchers have identified several factors that contribute to the stress that many novice teachers experience and their subsequent attrition. If necessary support from mentors, colleagues, and administrators is not in place, many 1st-year teachers opt to leave the…

Rural school districts often have limited numbers of special educators available, limited financial resources, and schools with very small, isolated populations. These limitations reveal the need for regular educators in the schools to gain skills needed for diagnosis and remediation of mildly handicapped students. This paper suggests utilizing…

The article identifies constraining forces (such as resistance to special education content in general teacher preparation) and facilitating forces (such as commonality between special and bilingual education). A detailed list of competencies for teachers of bilingual exceptional children is presented, and the Concerns-Based Adoption Model is…

There are many important workplace issues that must be considered when training rural special educators, particularly those who come from small rural environments with limited diversity. Teacher education programs and rural educators view practicum experiences as integral in transitioning from the training program to the diverse challenges of the…

The paper argues that prevailing models of teaching in special education rely on a technical conception of teaching, whereas technical skills should play a subsidiary role in service to teachers' broader understanding of the meaning of education and to their creative skills in bringing about experiences rich in educational potential. (JDD)

The passage of Public Law 99-457 has both quantitative and qualitative implications for assessment. Educators working with infants and young children must become more familiar with assessment strategies and limitations including psychometrically sound assessment of complex and controversial family variables, and health and environmental risk…