The aim of this essay is to advance understandings of current efforts to democratize disciplined approaches to educational innovation and improvement in the US and other countries, with a specific focus on the macro-level policy contexts of improvement research in education. In the US, earlier analyses examined these policy contexts from a…

This article explores trends in research since the 1975 passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), notes gaps in the literature, and offers suggestions for future directions music education researchers could take in exploring the needs and experiences of music teachers…

Despite long-standing antidiscrimination laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which are meant to guarantee equal access, many school and community choirs appear to be populated primarily by students with typical physical, cognitive, and behavioral abilities. The purpose of this article…

Gifted students with coexisting disabilities, also known as twice-exceptional, are increasingly recognized in America's schools. This increasing awareness needs to be met with equal enthusiasm for empirical investigation into the identification and treatment needs of this group of students. In this article, a 20-year review of the empirical…

The federal No Child Left Behind Act mandates the application of the principles of evidence-based practice (EBP) in U.S. education. The purpose of this study was to identify available assistive technology (AT) and educational technology (ET) literature that relates to standards and teacher competencies, and to categorize that literature in…

Including students with special needs in the general education classroom is being widely promoted in the public schools. This practice places a heavy burden on the general educator who is often inadequately trained to meet the needs of such a diverse classroom. Co-teaching has been one of the support strategies used to address the challenges and…

The Study of Monitoring and Improvement Practices under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) examined how states monitored the implementation of IDEA by local special education and early intervention services programs. State monitoring and improvement practices in 2004-05 and 2006-07 were the focus of the study. Prior to the…

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, together with the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, set in motion policy changes that have allowed many thousands of children and youth with disabilities in the United States the opportunity to gain the educational and vocational skills needed to transition to living, working, and participating as…

On December 3, 2004, President Bush signed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA 2004) into law. This law reauthorized and amended the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). On August 3, 2006, the U.S. Department of Education issued the regulations implementing the IDEIA 2004. The changes in the IDEIA 2004…

This brief overview discusses the rationale for measuring teachers' attitudes toward the mainstreaming of handicapped students into regular classrooms, as well as research findings on teacher attitudes. Two attitude tests, Berryman and Berryman's Attitudes Toward Mainstreaming Scale and Hall's Stages of Concern Questionnaire, are also briefly…

Providing adequate educational services for handicapped children in rural America is a continuing challenge. To deal with this problem, research and development efforts need to be intensified. (JOW)

The author focuses on the relevance of two assumptions (that change is a process, not an event; and that chanqe is made by individuals first and then by institutions) for research and evaluation concerning P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. Research findings and evaluation efforts are seen to be the basis for change in…

Intended for state education agency personnel and others concerned with implementation of P.L. 94-142 (Education for All Handicapped Children Act), the booklet presents summaries and findings of three research projects on individualized education programs (IEPs) and the planning team (PT) process. Reported on are the following three studies: a…

Briefly outlines the National Research Council's 1979 study of minority student representation in special education classes. Outlines results from recent study analyzing the ethnic make-up of children labeled "learning disabled" in a large school district in Texas. Results indicate that a disproportionate number of minority students are…

Outlines a brief history of the relationship between people experiencing disabilities and art education. Discusses the emergence of a sociopolitical orientation. Shows how that orientation can better inform research in art education. Proposes additional contributions that art educators can make to this civil rights movement. (KM)