Devereaux Elementary School Behavior Rating Scale scores of 64 handicapped and nonhandicapped Anglo and Mexican American children were analyzed for effects of ethnicity and diagnostic labels on Anglo teachers' ratings of children's behaviors in mainstream classrooms. Significant differences by ethnicity appeared in ratings of…

Two problem areas emerge in the provision of nonbiased multifactored assessment for handicapped students or students potentially in need of special education services: (1) the current classification system stigmatizes pupils identified as handicapped; and (2) there is disproportionate identification of minority students as handicapped.…

Describes a program undertaken by the Board of Education in Champaign, Illinois, to reevaluate and reclassify large numbers of Black children inappropriately classified as educable mentally handicapped (EMH). Raises policy considerations for school districts seeking to provide a remedy for students mistakenly classified as EMH. (MJL)

Critiques the assumptions about the nature and meaning of disability advanced in social-psychological writing, suggests the origins of these assumptions, and proposes a return to a Lewinian/minority-group analysis of the situation of people with disabilities. Introduces the other articles in this issue. (Author/ BJV)

This article reviews the major components of Public Law 94-142 and the implications of this law for Ebonics-speaking children. (BE)

A practicum was conducted to evaluate and modify the educational expectations parents and educators perceived as appropriate for children with Down's Syndrome. The research effort took place after parents were told that their children would attend the local school for the mentally retarded because they exhibited Down's Syndrome. The objectives of…

This paper challenges the theoretical knowledge base upon which the Canadian separate special education delivery system has been developed. Arguments for integration of special needs children into the mainstream of education are presented from a social-ethical, educational-psychological, and legal-legislative perspective. Examination of the…

Five papers discuss issues arising from the Minority Issues Inservice Program, a program to provide inservice training to teachers dealing with minority handicapped children in mainstreamed or other special education settings. The first paper, by C. Greenwood, describes activities of each of the three years of the ongoing program including…

Reviewed is the literature on issues relating to the evaluation of special education programs with special emphasis on the comparison of regular versus special class placement and Canadian programs. Results of studies dealing with effects of mainstreaming or special class services are reviewed in terms of social acceptance by peers, self concept,…

The paper discusses the results of a longitudinal study, conducted in Swedish public schools, of children in the sixth grade in 1979-80 (n=116) and children in the third grade in 1981-82 (n=123) with mild mental retardation who had not been labeled. The study replicates an earlier study on the incidence of mild mental retardation which was…

Interviews with five people labelled as mentally retarded revealed that they recognized being "different" in terms of the labels applied to them by others, but they do not use those same labels when defining themselves or choosing their close friends. (Author/BJV)

This final report focused on research questions associated with reducing the segregation of students with learning disabilities (LD) in Virginia. A survey of special education supervisors, general education supervisors, building principals, general elementary and secondary education teachers, LD teachers, students with LD, and parents was…

This article considers current educational trends that may undermine the service delivery system for individuals with severe learning disabilities, including influence of terminology, teacher-training models, full inclusion, curriculum-based assessment, reliance on quantitative decision making, adherence to singular teaching methodologies, and…

This paper considers the importance of caring for gifted children and identifies specific challenges facing Canada as the country tries to provide caring gifted education. "Caring" is defined and the importance of modeling caring behaviors so that children learn to care for others is stressed. The paper summarizes legislation and…

The question of responsibility for the education of disabled students has become a controversial issue. This article explores the debate between proponents of special education and of mainstreaming for academically handicapped children. Under Public Law 94-142, disabled children are guaranteed an appropriate public education in the least…