The least restrictive environment (LRE) mandate suggests a preference for educating students with disabilities in general education settings provided their needs can be met there. This study examined national trends in the educational placements of students with disabilities ages 6 to 17 in the 50 states and the District of Columbia from 1990…

The incidence figures of handicapped children in a sample of school districts were calculated. During the 1977-78, 1978-79, and 1979-80 school years, four to five percent of the students were referred or evaluated; three percent were placed in special education programs, with wide variation in the data supplied by individual school districts.…

Fifty primary research studies of special versus regular class placement were selected for use in a meta-analysis. Special classes were found to be significantly inferior to regular class placement for students with below average IQs and significantly superior to regular classes for behaviorally disordered, emotionally disturbed, and learning…

A meta-analysis was performed on 11 empirical studies of the effects of mainstreaming. Results indicated that mainstreamed disabled students consistently outperformed nonmainstreamed students with comparable special education classifications. The most success was found in programs with design features (such as continuous assessment) suggested by…

Thirty-five studies on the efficacy of special class versus regular class placement for mildly handicapped students were reviewed for the power of their statistical tests. Twenty-one studies had adequate power to detect a large effect size but the power to detect a medium effect size was no better than chance. (Author/DB)

This study examined the effect of a self-evaluation intervention using audiotaped samples of 20 teachers' instructional behavior on the rates of praise in classrooms for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Results indicated the intervention had positive short-term effects on teacher praise and correct academic responses by students.…

This paper describes efforts to establish ungraded classes for mildly retarded children in New York City from 1900-1920, focusing on struggles to find and train qualified teachers, correctly identify children to be served, and provide ample classroom space. The introduction of intelligence testing is also examined. (Author/JDD)

The school day of a total of 122 learning disabled, emotionally/behaviorally disturbed, educable mentally retarded, and nonhandicapped elementary students was observed. Findings were noted concerning time allocated to instruction in specific content areas, time spent in different school settings, and time allocated to instruction as a function of…

Observations of teaching behaviors of 40 teachers in categorical special education classrooms (educable mentally retarded, learning disabled, emotionally handicapped) revealed no differences in the extent to which teachers of different types of students demonstrated six of seven teaching behaviors defined as effective. Questions concerning the…

A statistical comparison was conducted of 120 Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) of intermediate-grade male students with behavioral disorders and learning disabilities in resource and self-contained programs. Differences were found in terms of federal mandate compliance, number of annual goals and completed short-term objectives, and…

While total ontask behavior distinguished institutionalized children from children in community schools and special classes, it did not differentiate retarded children in community based classrooms from one another. (Author/SB)

Israeli elementary-level hearing-impaired students (N=188) were studied to determine the relation between background variables (family characteristics, student characteristics, and educational intervention) and educational placement (special schools, special classes, or regular classes). Placement was found to be related to socioeconomic status,…

This study assessed 575 students with mild mental retardation in three educational settings. Their loneliness, depression, and social skills were assessed through student self-reports and peer perception of social status. Among findings were that preadolescent students in self-contained classes in regular schools exhibited more loneliness and…