In advancing educational inclusion efforts this critical position paper makes explicit the relevance of new materialism as a pedagogy to counter the dominant special education models in Canadian and Australian school contexts. This paper argues the implementation of special education policies and programs do not adequately address the complexity…

Models of support for students with disability and learning difficulties in mainstream classes in Australia rely extensively on teacher assistants (TAs). Current models, however, inadvertently perpetuate low expectations because providing TA support can be one of the most restrictive supports offered in a school [Giangreco, M. F. 2010a.…

The inclusion of students with autism and other special needs into the general education curriculum continues to be a challenging process for school communities in the United States of America (US) and, increasingly, abroad. Although inclusion continues to be a challenging process for those involved, the global demand is growing. Traditionally,…

On any given day, early intervention (EI) providers must manage the individual needs of children with a range of disabilities in a variety of contexts and with varying caregiver/family priorities. Recommended and evidence-based practices as defined by Part C policy (Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act, 2004) and the Division…

In this webinar, Dr. Joyce Epstein, Director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships and the National Network of Partnership Schools, discussed what the research says about effective family engagement. The webinar and PowerPoint presentation are also available. A brief list of resources is included.

Patterns of identification for special education services across three cohorts of students in kindergarten through third grade before and after implementation of a schoolwide, three-tier reading prevention model in one large school district are reported. The first cohort of students represents a historical control group that did not participate in…

The history of the ecological model, which views the handicapped child and special education intervention in the context of intricate relationships, is reviewed. (DB)

A systemic model for conceptualizing, designing, implementing, and evaluating intervention trials with handicapped infants and young children is proposed. The model has seven components: developmental basis, explanatory factors, intervention targets, assessment procedures, intervention strategies, intervention contexts, and evaluation procedures.…

This article compares two educational approaches, intensive-explicit instruction and constructivist instruction, considering how both can affect instruction for students with disabilities. It concludes by urging the integration of these two approaches, possibly by using models focused on the transformation of explicit knowledge into tacit…

The article looks at two competing psychological theories, the componential and the constructivist, and the implications of each for the use of computers in reading instruction. The concept of "contextualization" as a basis for integrating the two approaches into a model of computer use in the special education classroom is proposed. (Author/DB)

This study of two sixth-grade classrooms (containing general, remedial, and special education students) evaluated teacher planning, curriculum content, classroom instruction, student perception, and student assessment. The study suggests the need for a carefully defined model for serving students with special needs in content classes, with clearly…

This article looks at curriculum for students with learning difficulties from a British perspective and urges the replacement of behavioral approaches to the curriculum by a process model which emphasizes personal and social development rather than the National Curriculum. (Author/DB)

This discussion of ecological approaches to special education suggests that the relative neglect of the ecological approach is partially a result of the apparent incompatibility between ecological theory and conventional scientific approaches. It is suggested that ecological theory and positivism may be reconciled by broadening and developing…

This article on inclusive education proposes a continuum of "explicit" to "implicit" instructional approaches, which expresses a range of amounts of teacher assistance provided and levels of expected student responsibility for learning. Research on such a continuum is reviewed and implications are drawn for instructional design in reading and…

This document presents 28 accepted principles for modifying instruction to better meet needs of handicapped and at risk students. The principles include, among others: get to know the individual student in an informal manner; examine the patterns of children's errors; sequence skills to reduce error rates; vary response, testing, and grading…