This paper is a reflection on practice. It begins by briefly describing an evaluation of an externally-funded education programme in Kosovo (a new country in south-east Europe). The programme was managed by Save the Children in Kosovo and aimed to develop and promote models of inclusive education through three strands of activity. The first of…

The article examines service provisions for preschool-aged handicapped students in terms of two legal issues: what constitutes an appropriate program in terms of the intensity/frequency of program length; and how the least restrictive environment provision should be applied to this population. (Author/DB)

Drawing on H.R. Davis' A VICTORY model of factors associated with organizational change, the article argues that accepted models of educational evaluation will be most useful with programs for mainstreaming handicapped children when they are expanded to include critical factors associated with organizational acceptance and successful…

Physical educators will soon be confronted with having to demonstrate measurable and recognizable results of their teaching, particularly in terms of student physical, recreational, and social skills; this requires not only a focus on broad objectives, but a specific focus on short-term objectives that can be taught systematically. Behavioral…

Both practical and theoretical issues pertaining to the evaluation of mainstreaming programs for minority group children are addressed in this paper. Problems and issues in the evaluation of educational treatments are presented, with attention to the variables of stating goals and objectives and monitoring children's progress. A critique of large…

The introduction to several articles on measurement issues in supported education for severely handicapped students stresses the importance of measurement in evaluating outcomes and identifying variables responsible for those outcomes. (DB)

The paper examined empirical evidence (published through 1986) concerning the effectiveness of the Adaptive Learning Environments Model (ALEM), a multifaceted program designed to integrate handicapped pupils and remedial and compensatory education students in general education. Evaluation of three evaluative studies by the program's originators…

The article discusses conceptual principles which underpin development of consultation-based programing for students with mild disabilities, proposes informal standards for ecological evaluation of specific formats, and identifies factors (such as administrative support and participatory planning and decision making) that maximize the potential…

Recommendations are offered to parents who wish to ensure an appropriate school placement for a deaf or hard of hearing child. A table lists 30 recommended standards to facilitate full inclusion and the associated actions that parents can take to ensure compliance with these standards. (DB)

This paper examines issues concerned with the administration of programs for gifted and talented students, especially those in Ohio. The problem of defining giftedness is considered noting expansion of the Ohio definition to include 12 percent of the student population of which only 48 percent are currently being served by any special program.…

The evaluation process within special education, as in general education, most often becomes one of data collection consisting of formal and informal tests given by the school psychologist and the classroom instructor. Influences of the complex environment on the educational process are often ignored. Evaluation factors include mainstreaming,…

Identified are four major fallacies in Douglas Fuchs and Lynn Fuchs' critique of the Adaptive Learning Environments Model (ALEM) and the General Education Initiative (GEI): erroneous interpretations of the GEI, segregationism in the Fuchs' point of view, the research base of the ALEM, and readiness for the GEI. (JDD)

This paper refutes the arguments of Margaret Wang and Herbert Walberg in their support of the Adaptive Learning Environments Model (ALEM) and the General Education Initiative. It focuses on the small number of ALEM implementations and replications, weaknesses of the research and evaluations supporting ALEM, and other specific criticisms. (JDD)

Five articles highlight issues concerning special needs students in vocational agriculture education. The authors discuss the decision to place exceptional students in vocational agriculture classes; helping the handicapped student adjust in vocational agriculture; teacher education for special needs students at Penn State; and innovations in…

The paper describes problems endemic to the evaluation of programs for gifted and talented students. The goals of gifted and talented programs are often substantially different from those covered on outcome measures available to schools. When decisions are being made about the type of programs to be provided, parallel consideration should be given…