This investigation addressed the use of problem-solving teams (PST) to support general education teachers working in inclusive classrooms. Eight teams in a high-poverty elementary school that had recently implemented an inclusive program were the focus of the study. Teachers noted several benefits of PSTs, including social support, learning new…

A restructured postgraduate teacher education programme is described specifically with regard to its commitment to prepare educators to work effectively with deaf and hard-of-hearing children in inclusive settings. The focus of the paper is on the design and development process rather than on the evaluation of the outcomes. Background information…

"What does a great paraprofessional need to know and do?" Find out in this survival guide, equally useful for the brand-new paraprofessional or the 20-year classroom veteran. Packed with friendly guidance, practical tips, and relatable first-person stories, this book reveals the best ways to provide effective, respectful services to students in…

The booklet describes an activity designed to help nonhandicapped persons understand and develop solutions to problematic situations faced by mentally and physically handicapped students, their parents, and school personnel. The assumption is made that integration is desirable, and the issue therefore becomes not whether children with disabilities…

General education teachers are the most frequent consumers of Teacher Assistance Team (TAT) services; therefore, their satisfaction with the purpose, process and outcome associated with this model of prereferral intervention may influence its acceptability, use, implementation, and effectiveness (social validity). Seven empirical studies assessing…

Special education reform has targeted placement of children with disabilities. Terms such as "mainstreaming,""least restrictive environment," and "full inclusion" describe various reform stages. This article briefly reviews the history of special education reform, discusses current ideas related to best practice, and…

This set of four short videocassettes promotes the use of promising practices advocating fully inclusive education for students with diverse learning abilities in their neighborhood schools. The first video, titled "Seven Steps to Problem Solving," presents a problem-solving process that empowers teams to work together to meet diverse…

An elementary school-based team (SBT) problem-solving model is described. Intended to provide recommendations for initial screening, assessment, and instructional alternatives for students with learning problems in mainstreamed settings, the SBT is discussed in terms of benefits, potential problems, developmental sequence, functional processes,…

The Mainstream Assistance Team (MAT) Project is a 3-year program to develop, implement, and validate a prereferral intervention model with nonhandicapped difficult-to-teach students. This paper presents a rationale for prereferral assessment and intervention focused on the increasing numbers of mildly handicapped students enrolled in special…

The study described in this paper explored collaboration between elementary regular and special educators who were motivated by a schoolwide commitment to serve children with learning difficulties in the mainstream. All teachers at one school were invited to join in a collaborative problem solving format to handle student reading difficulties in…

This paper provides an overview of collaborative consultation, a service delivery model emphasizing mediated joint problem-solving efforts between individuals from different fields. Of special emphasis is the role of teachers of mainstreamed hearing-impaired students in providing ongoing support to regular classroom teachers, speech-language…

The Collaborative Education Project's goal was to assess the effectiveness of collaborative problem solving (CPS) by peer advocates for enhancing the integration of students with severe disabilities into regular early education contexts. The CPS strategy gives some responsibility to nondisabled students for the planning and design of activities…

This manual is intended to help educators and families address students' behavioral problems so that students with emotional and behavioral difficulties can be included in regular education. Chapter 1 is an introduction and uses vignettes to identify supports that students, educators, and families say they need. Chapter 2 offers case studies on…

This final report of the School Building Models for Educating Children with Disabilities in the Regular Education Environment project provides a conceptual framework and describes the problem solving-planning process which links school-wide collaboration, individual professional development, and inclusionary practices with shared responsibility…

An in-service training model was developed to encourage collaboration among regular classroom teachers to assist mainstreamed handicapped students. The model encourages teams of educators to undergo training, uses a collegial approach, provides a forum for sharing classroom problems and possible solutions, and provides technical skills for…