A 2-year followup evaluation was conducted with 1 male and 19 female rural Nevada regular and special education teachers and related service workers who had participated in two summer institutes on teaching practices for students with severe, multiple disabilities and students with emotional disturbances. Telephone interviews sought to determine…

To serve exceptional students effectively, all professionals involved must share responsibilities as members of a team. Other issues facing special education professionals include feelings of territoriality, opposition to mainstreaming, and strategies for change. (CJ)

Reports a study of 24 teachers who were mentors for beginning teachers, using information from the second of 2 meetings with each mentor to discuss mentor roles and the benefits of and obstacles to mentoring. Results indicated that teachers considered mentoring valuable, even when under less than ideal circumstances. (SM)

A survey of 54 educators and 62 rehabilitation counselors found the role that rehabilitation counselors serve is inadequate and is exacerbated by the fact that many counselors are not being invited to transition planning meetings by school personnel, parents, or teachers. Recommendations for promoting better collaboration are suggested. (Contains…

In interviews with 86 rural special education teachers, issues of mobility and opportunity were cited most often as reasons why teachers left their jobs. Although results indicated that both leavers and stayers were dissatisfied with employment conditions, teachers who chose to extend their teaching contracts were more closely tied to the…

A study involving 84 special educators in two western states investigated special education knowledge and use of various transition assessment strategies. Although most of the educators indicated they were aware of all types of assessment strategies, they still relied heavily on those that were either standardized or teacher prepared. (Contains…

Analysis of 41 questionnaires completed by graduates of either undergraduate or masters degree programs in orientation and mobility training of people with visual impairments found that most respondents were still active as mobility instructors, most were in school programs, and most expressed a need for more knowledge of training students with…

Survey responses from 162 early-childhood special educators and pediatric professionals working with young children prenatally exposed to cocaine were evaluated. Findings suggested differences in service delivery patterns, with maternal self-report identified as the primary identification procedure. Respondents also felt they lacked necessary…

Resource teachers (n=124) from 69 middle and junior high schools responded to a survey about the collaboration model at their school site. Results indicated that resource programs are usually a combination of collaboration and traditional pull-out models. Teachers viewed the collaboration model positively, reported administrative support, and…

Coaching procedures of the Skillstreaming Curriculum for social skill development were evaluated for their effects on self-perceptions of social skills of 70 students with behavior disorders and their teachers' perceptions concerning social behaviors in classes. Pre-/postintervention data indicate very small differences in student perceptions and…

A survey of nine special educators and nine general educators in three Texas schools found that inclusion for students with emotional/behavioral disorders was being implemented due to administrative impetus and was not carefully planned, and that both special- and general-education teachers believe they need training related to inclusion and…

A national survey of 1,000 secondary school special educators servicing students with mild disabilities yielded 407 responses. Results found that the teachers interacted frequently with general and special educators to share information and infrequently with community service providers. They perceived themselves to have an average to above average…

A course at Southeastern Louisiana University prepares special education teachers to collaborate with rural families having children with disabilities. Precourse, postcourse, and 2-year followup questionnaires found that participants had a new understanding of family dynamics and the impact on the family of a special-needs child and developed…

Seeking to strengthen preparation of preservice general educators for the realities of inclusive school settings, two special education teacher educators from different universities used content-based structured reflective log writing as an integral course requirement. Faced with teaching intensive course content within a limited time frame, the…

The term "access to the general curriculum" is widely used in the field of special education, yet little is known about how practitioners are interpreting the term for high school students with significant cognitive disabilities (SCD). In this study, general and special educators in one high school were interviewed to determine their…