What would schools and classrooms look like if they truly mirrored our democratic ideals? In this issue of the Occasional Papers, five authors explore current and historical questions related to the inclusion of children with disabilities in public schools. The history of educating children with disabilities--an ongoing civil rights issue--has…

Schools in the United States and schools across majority of countries around the world today face two critical issues: "Inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classrooms" and a contributing factor to success of this inclusion, teachers prepared to use best practices. "Best practices" in education are approaches to teaching,…

A group of researchers from Syracuse University's School of Education (New York) conducted 25 case studies of local school programs that had been nominated by teachers, administrators, and parents as being exemplary in integrating children with disabilities into the mainstream of education. The 12 case studies selected for this volume represent…

This paper examines the status of special education for mentally and physically handicapped children in Japan. Among the topics covered are these: (1) placement of students with "heavy" handicaps in special schools; (2) more mainstreamed placement of children with "light" handicaps; and (3) enforcement by prefectural and…

This book provides an internationally comparable set of indicators on educational provision for students with disabilities, learning difficulties and disadvantages (DDD). It highlights the number of students involved, where they are educated--special schools, special classes or regular classes--and in what phases of education--pre-primary,…

The use of various resources in special education in Scotland is described in this collection of 12 papers. Written by classroom teachers, the first five relate individual attempts to deal with particular problems, i.e., science education for the visually handicapped, two different approaches to teaching the mentally handicapped, art for the…

The development of special education in Brazil is compared with England and the U.S., emphasizing the predominance of educable mentally retarded as a category and the preference for special class provision. The paper discusses various influencing factors, current government policy and service provision, and the future prospects for integration.…

The paper discusses the issue of educational equity, principles of systems analysis, systems approaches in the educational milieu, the evaluation aspect of the systems approach, and application of the systems approach to preventing disproportionate enrollment of Hispanics and Blacks in special education classes in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The…

Discusses the impact of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1990 upon Catholic schools. Indicates that IDEA allocates funds based on the number of students with handicaps enrolled in each state in public and private schools and that public schools must provide special education facilities to parochial school students. (MAB)

A descriptive study reports on attitudes of 24 special day class teachers toward mainstreaming of learning handicapped students and toward practices used to implement mainstreaming. Questionnaires were completed concerning factual, attitudinal, and process information for placement and monitoring in the least restrictive environment (LRE).…

Ten years of data reflect little change in use of separate facilities for handicapped students, and high state-to-state variation. A subsequent paper argues that least restrictive environment as a concept has focused on "location" rather than "service." A final paper addresses the need to eliminate geographic and funding restrictions to…

This manual describes a self-monitoring program for use in special education classes and residential treatment programs. The procedure can be adapted to fit almost any program already using daily point sheets or can be used to develop a new program. The procedure requires both student and teacher observation of behaviors and rewards students for…

Preparation of special educators in Poland is discussed in the context of the history of Polish education, the development of special education in Poland, and demographic and cultural factors. Currently, there are more than 250 special schools for the mentally retarded, as well as a considerable number of special classes within public schools.…

This compilation of materials from the Rum River (Minnesota) region special education programs includes the following items: (1) an outline of performance-based supervision and employee review techniques for special education supervisors and administrators; (2) a brief description of the Rum River North and South day treatment programs (for…

The Bridging Early Services Transition (BEST) Project--Outreach was designed to help families, administrators, and service providers facilitate the transition of young children, birth through age 5, as they move between services and service systems including: from early intervention to special preschool services; from Head Start or preschool to…