A special-education paradigm looks at students as individuals, substantially involves parents, documents individual student's needs and achievement, and operates under judicial oversight. Regular education is premised upon group learning and instruction, political rather than legal accountability, and a local or statewide power source. (84…

This study found that Missouri special education teachers (n=198) felt that their undergraduate courses inadequately prepared them for working with children from families without two biological parents in the same household, though this training was felt to be important. The majority of subjects had received in-service training related to divorce,…

The philosophical, legal, moral, economic, and empirical bases supporting educating teachers to teach both typically and atypically developing infants, toddlers, and preschoolers and to work with their families are presented. Content for such integrated teacher education curricula and certification standards are recommended. Efforts by…

Maintains that economic pressure and military incursions supported by the United States have resulted in draconian cuts in special education services in Nicaragua. Prior to 1979, special education was extremely expensive. A UNICEF program, financed by the Swedish government, provides limited but effective support. (MJP)

The purpose of the study was to provide insight into the inability to retain qualified special education teachers. Why do special educators say they want to leave? What conditions would encourage them to stay? Nearly half of the teachers reported they planned to leave the field in the next 5 years. They cited three areas of concern: administrative…

Parent advocates play a key role in driving forward the debate and critical analysis of what constitutes professional knowledge in special education. The results of the study indicate that a burgeoning confidence and status might be attached to parental knowledge and expertise that could widen the traditional boundaries confined by the…

This study supports efforts by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to foster greater state accountability and establish data-driven planning and self-assessment processes that help states and schools to address provisions of the recently enacted Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act…

This guide for inclusion facilitators was developed as part of New Hampshire's Inclusion Facilitators Support Network, created as an activity of the New Hampshire Statewide Systems Change Project. The Network provides a forum for Inclusion Facilitators to meet, share ideas and strategies, and discuss the latest innovations in inclusive education.…

This book is concerned with support for secondary students with special educational needs in the regular classroom, as it exists in reality in the United Kingdom and in the ideal. It shares strategies that effective support teachers use in helping pupils in the classroom. The role of the support teacher and the relationship of the support teacher…

This final report describes a project that prepared 28 integration/support facilitators to work with school district personnel to plan and implement systems change to result in integrated service models for learners with moderate and severe disabilities within their local home schools. The project offered a 30 to 36 credit hour post-Master's…

This monograph describes results of focus group interviews with 28 regular and special education teachers in Virginia concerning their experience with inclusion of students with disabilities in regular education classrooms. An introduction notes the trend toward greater inclusion of these students while providing needed special educational support…

This monograph identifies and discusses eight goals for students with visual impairments, which are intended to be integrated with educational reform efforts called for by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Goals 2000 program, and the School to Work initiatives. The goals are: (1) students and their families will be referred to…

The four articles in this monograph present issues in the application of technology to special education from an international perspective. In the first chapter, "Augmentative and Alternative Communication Systems--Computer Applications for Individuals with Disabilities: An International Perspective," Richard Cardinali and George McMurdo…

This report summarizes results of a survey of special educators regarding first, their working conditions related to central office support and, second, the impact of administrative support on their job satisfaction, commitment, and intent to leave. Major findings regarding teacher attitudes toward central office administrators include a perceived…

This study used Q-methodology, which describes subjective opinions through measured techniques, to evaluate the attitudes held by practitioners (19 special educators and 14 regular educators) as a result of the changing focus of special education from pull-out categorical programs to an integration service model. Q-methodology enabled the…