To identify promising practices, issues, and problems concerning education for the gifted in Maine, 239 classroom teachers and 14 administrators from 11 school districts geographically distributed throughout the state responded to questionnaires which profiled teacher personal characteristics and styles, described the educational setting and…

Eleven special education resource teachers from seven North Carolina education agencies outlined their responsibilities in the student referral-to-placement process. Among shared responsibilities were making the initial contact with the referring teacher positive and productive, developing the individualized education program (IEP), and…

This paper describes an ongoing national survey to provide baseline data on mental health services delivered in public elementary, middle, and secondary schools. The survey will: (1) identify and describe models and arrangements for the delivery of mental health services and document which models are most prevalent; (2) identify and describe the…

Discusses the different roles of bilingual special educators in cooperative teaching endeavors designed to educate second language learners in general education classrooms, including facilitating instruction for second language learners. The observations of a bilingual special educator who worked as part of a cooperative teaching team are…

Reflects on previous articles in the same journal on preparation of special education teachers. Discusses the need for special educators to focus their efforts more on teaching the teachers, rather than on system change. Also addresses the challenge of detailing the differences and similarities in students, tasks, and instruction that are relevant…

This response to five case studies and reactions to them finds agreement that special education in inclusive programs is, by design, no longer "special." It urges: (1) adding resources to strengthen the continuum of services; (2) special educators to join general educators to re-create schools; (3) instructional focus on individual needs; and (4)…

Collaboration between a supervisor and a teacher of nine first and second graders with hearing loss is recounted. Discussion includes reconsideration of classroom setup, expansion of the reading program to include more guided reading, documentation of student progress, more guided writing, and more shared decision making. (DB)

As assistive devices for students with disabilities become more useful and less expensive, special educators participating on teams which evaluate and select appropriate technology must consider fundamental educational principles, student characteristics, and the characteristics of the technology. (A table lists annual assistive technology…

This study, which compared the perceptions of 205 learning disabilities resource teachers, regular education teachers, special education coordinators, and principals, found that 73 percent of the role functions considered for resource teachers to promote interaction with regular education teachers were highly desirable, but only 2 were cited by…

Addresses ways in which general and deaf educators can work together in inclusive settings. Specific suggestions are offered for both the general educator and deaf educator in the areas of behavior, placement, emotional observation, deaf culture, inservice training, team meetings, peers, and families. (DB)

Examines the role of legislation in the construction of teacher duties and roles, using special education as an example. The paper draws on various professional-development agendas derived from legislation and research which show how successive United Kingdom Acts of Parliament require teachers and teacher-educators to have an ever-growing and…

Increasingly diverse student populations in schools highlight the need for effective service delivery models to accommodate these students. One promising practice that is being utilized and becoming more commonplace in schools is coteaching (Reinhiller, 1996). Coteaching involves the deployment of a general education teacher and a special…

This joint publication of the National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities and the National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education discusses the characteristics and roles of special education teachers. Topics include: why people become special educators; characteristics of special education teachers, including…

This paper includes a qualitative study of the role of "inclusion specialists" in schools, a review of the history of special education, accounts of interviews with 17 special and 7 regular educators, accounts of day-long observations of four specialists, and the author's reflections. The literature review focuses on the relationship of…

This book explains the whole language philosophy of learning to read and how it can be applied in special education classrooms to assist students with learning disabilities. Chapters address: (1) an overview of the whole language approach; (2) examples of how special education teachers use whole language to teach children with learning…