Music-education majors often struggle when making classroom and curricular modifications for their lesson plans during their university coursework. This article offers behavioral, curricular, environmental, motivational, organizational, and presentational strategies for planning instruction for various disabilities in the music classroom.…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 supports equitable access to educational opportunities for all children who have disabilities. IDEA requires that students who receive services for special needs receive a free appropriate public education, and have access to the general education curriculum, which includes…

In recent years, special educators' roles and responsibilities have undergone significant transformations deriving from both internal and external sources. This article initially reviews some of the reform movements that have sought to bring research-based practices into the classroom, particularly for students considered exceptional or at-risk.…

Society's pervasive negative attitude about disability--which the author terms ableism--often makes the world an unwelcoming and inaccessible place for disabled people. An abelist perspective asserts that it is preferable for a child to read print rather than Braille, walk rather than use a wheelchair, spell independently rather than use a…

Contains four articles: (1) "And the Walls Came Tumbling Down: Including Children Who Are Differently Abled in Typical Early Childhood Educational Settings"; (2) "On Teasing, Taunting, and 'I Can Do It by Myself'"; (3) "A Teacher's Responsibility--To Be Enthusiastic about Teaching Fast and Slow Learners Alike"; (4) "A Child with Severe Hearing…

This digest summarizes research on methods of student grouping in reading instruction other than whole-class instruction and ability grouping. Peer tutoring and reciprocal-role tutoring have been demonstrated to be effective for students with learning disabilities because they are allowed to be either tutors or tutees. Cross-age tutoring has been…

Summarizes recent findings of empirical research in science education concerning students with disabilities. Discusses learning characteristics of disabled students, effective instructional strategies including text-based interventions and inquiry-oriented interventions, and inclusion practices. Contains 70 references. (WRM)

The purpose of this study was to implement differentiated and peer-mediated instruction to determine if these instructional interventions were successful in preparing students with disabilities for state standardized tests. In addition, this study identified how exceptional needs learners responded to techniques utilized during differentiated and…

This study provides an evaluation of the national and state level educational environmental placement trends for students, ages 6-11 or 12-17, with learning disabilities (LD), emotional disabilities (ED), mental retardation (MR), or speech and language impairments (SLI) in the decade following implementation of the Regular Education Initiative…

A follow-up study involving 140 special education graduates found vocational education, work-study participation, attending a rural school, and having a learning disability were the best predictors of full-time employment after graduation. Participation in regular academics and attending a suburban school were the best predictors of postsecondary…

This study surveyed general education teachers in four private elementary/secondary schools in New Delhi, India, concerning their attitudes toward mainstreaming students with mild to severe disabilities and factors that teachers considered essential for successful mainstreaming. The 98-item survey elicited 32 responses. Results are discussed in…

Special education is under fire from full inclusionists who advocate for children with severe mental retardation and who contend that special education settings are immoral dumping grounds for children deemed "unteachable." Other advocates of inclusion focus on the invalidity of disability categories, tests, and instructional services which, in…

An experimental project was implemented to test the effectiveness of full inclusion of students with learning and behavioral disorders at a rural middle school within the Appalachian region of Kentucky. Thirteen students with behavioral disorders or learning disabilities were placed in four regular classrooms for 3 months. Five teachers…

Helping children with disabilities has become a part of American education with varying degrees of acceptance and tolerance over the years, and efforts to provide special education have become controversial. Much of the concern is about paying for "extra" services, but the debate is not just about money. Many professionals question the…

This set of information sheets is intended to improve practice in special education through use of technology, media, and materials. The first information profile offers guidelines for using NCIP (National Center to Improve Practice) resources to effect change. Examples are given of how technology coordinators and others have used NCIP resources…