This qualitative research discusses a Finnish community music project aimed at school pupils with disabilities. The practices of this project define community music as community-driven, goal-oriented participatory music-making with a musician as a facilitator. Instead of the effects on pupils, this research investigates the project's impacts on…

Response to intervention (RTI) can be considered an everyday practice in many parts of the United States, whereas, in Finland, only recently has a new framework for support in learning taken shape. Choosing Finland as the comparative partner for this policy paper is justified as its educational system has been widely referenced on the basis of…

The development of special education in Scandinavia is outlined, with special emphasis on Finland. Factors influencing the future of special education include emphasis on independent living, decreasing numbers of workers needed, increased mobility, disabled populations in third world countries, influence of information technology, etc. (Author/JDD)

The increasing need for special education in the twentieth century is connected to the institutionalization of the modern school model exemplified in Finland. The more modern the school, the stricter the criteria for normality, the finer the evaluation system, the finer the screening used, and thus, the greater the amount of deviance handled by…

The article describes the Finnish special education system which provides instructional modifications ranging from remedial education to individual instruction at home, with most students receiving part-time special education by resource room teachers. The last decade has seen emphasis on individual and group integration and individual special…

This article provides information on special education topics on the international front. Information is presented on projects that evaluated early intervention programs, a life-centered career education program in the Philippines, a Peruvian vocational program for individuals with severe disabilities, and special classes for children with…

This paper discusses the outcomes of two intervention models designed to prevent students with disabilities from dropping out of school in Finland. The first model, the "Creating Own Career" model, is based on the main ideas of the City as School projects. The model is designed to emphasize young peoples' own motivation,…

A survey of 125 prospective undergraduate special education in Estonia, Finland, and the United States found the Estonians were most critical of inclusion and the Finns the least critical. Results suggest that prospective teachers' perceptions about inclusion are related to the prevailing implementation of inclusive education in their countries.…

Graduate students and faculty from within and outside of the University of Pittsburgh community were among the presenters at this colloquium on educational change and challenge. The papers include: Academic Freedom, Anti-Communism, and the McCarthy Era (Steve Aby); The Finnish Contribution to the American Workers' Education Movement (Richard J.…