Effective reading instruction is essential for all students, and especially students with disabilities; however, studies have indicated that both pre-service and in-service teachers lack an adequate knowledge of reading. To ensure adequate teacher knowledge, teacher preparation reform advocates suggest purposeful alignment of teacher preparation…

Educating children with disabilities alongside their peers in mainstream preschools has increased intensely over the past few years, affecting all aspects of early childhood education. Many children who previously would have been educated in segregated special centres are now being included in inclusive preschools. This research paper discusses…

In 1994, Brunei Darussalam adopted an inclusive educational policy and began a number of educational reforms to support the implementation of inclusion within the regular mainstream education system. These reforms include teacher education, which has witnessed the establishment and expansion of training and education opportunities for teachers to…

2004 has come to be seen by many in Singapore as a watershed year with the shift in the position of the government towards encouraging greater integration of students with disabilities in mainstream settings. This study investigated the attitudes of 1538 mainstream pre-service teachers towards disability and inclusive education during this period…

An attitudinal resistance among teachers regarding the inclusion of children with disabilities is well documented in the literature. Studies collectively highlight two specific areas that contribute to this resistance. First, a lack of teacher knowledge or preparedness for meeting the diverse needs of children with disabilities stimulates…

Australian legislation and policies over the last fifteen years have reinforced the rights of students with disabilities to be included in mainstream classrooms. To make this a reality, change has been necessary in a number of areas such as teacher knowledge, resource allocation, curriculum reform, and support services. This paper presents a…

This article reports on a study that investigated the extent to which central ministry policy initiatives result in large-scale educational change in developing countries. Specifically, Lesotho's policy of inclusive special education was examined as a case study. The study employed a multi-method approach to yield a large data-set. Results…

This report discusses the outcomes of an intrinsic case study of the implementation of inclusion in a North Louisiana parish and the placement of special needs students within this parish. The case study was undertaken in an attempt to better understand the meaning and effect of the experience of teaching in an inclusive setting and of the…

Curriculum beliefs and practices were surveyed with 341 Colorado elementary and secondary special education teachers. Findings include: training in curriculum development occurs mostly on the job; teachers want training in teaching compensatory and life skills; teachers believe that individualized education plans constitute the curriculum for…

Sixteen papers, developed as part of a 10-year study of substantive and methodological aspects of teacher education in special education at the University of South Florida, address professional issues in special education. The papers are: (1) "To Improve or Reconstruct Special Education: Issues Facing the Field" (James L. Paul and Ann…

In the spring of 1995 Northern Arizona University initiated a pilot program for a new content emphasis for elementary education majors. This new emphasis, "Diversity in Educational Contexts," is designed to prepare teachers to instruct the diverse children they will encounter in their public and private classrooms. The new program…

This commentary discusses some of the challenges teacher education programs face in preparing teachers for working with students with disabilities. Trends toward making teacher education more authentic, increasing opportunities for practicum experiences, and focusing on the abilities of teacher candidates to achieve student learning are…

This report discusses outcomes of a study designed to update information on jurisdictional requirements for the conventional licensure of special educators and to extend inquiry into areas of special education licensure. Interviews were conducted and responses were received from 51 directors of licensure in state departments of education and the…

This article addresses how teacher preparation programs can best respond to the broad, complex calls for reform in ways that are locally meaningful and honor academic integrity, but that are also true to the intent of the reform mandates. The authors begin with an overview of some of the federal and state initiatives that are presenting challenges…

This proceedings of the 1997 Annual International Conference of the Association for the Education of Teachers in Science (AETS) includes a copy of the conference program and 43 papers and presentation summaries from the meeting, placed in order by conference session. Among the topics of the papers include are: reading-to-learn and writing-to-learn…