The quality of relationships between teachers and students has been associated with academic achievement and performance outcomes for students at all levels of their education. Extensive literature examining characteristics of positive relationships between teachers and their elementary age students exists, but is less abundant in regard to…

The reauthorization of the Individual with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 strongly encourages the use of a response-to-intervention (RtI) model to reduce the number of students identified as learning disabled, to increase student achievement, and to close learning gaps between subgroups of students. RtI is based on the systematic assessment of…

This brief paper describes the Circle of Collaboration approach at one elementary school in Utah that is focusing on development of an inclusive school for all students and implementation of a program (Balance Literacy) to enhance students' reading skills. Balance Literacy incorporates phonemic awareness, phonic instruction, fluency, vocabulary,…

This monograph examines issues related to the inclusion of students with disabilities as part of an ongoing study of Success for All (SFA), a popular reform model for improving student reading performance. An executive summary identifies four lessons resulting from interviews with principals, teachers, and related staff in four SFA schools. These…

This paper examines the concept of "outcomes-based education" (OBE), how it was developed, how it relates to other current reforms that encompass the notion of outcomes, and how it relates to students with disabilities in theory and in practice. Outcomes-based education holds that all children can learn and succeed and that schools are…

This pamphlet provides an overview of the philosophical, legal, and research bases of responsible inclusion of students with disabilities in regular classes. Educators are urged to not disregard the continuum of service placement, which is legally required, but to recognize that most students with disabilities can be educated in regular classes in…

This article describes the restructuring of the Special Education Teacher Education program at the University of Washington. Analysis indicated a paradigm shift as well as intense collaborative activity and significant programmatic and curricular modifications. Descriptions of the type of personnel needed in the new program are offered, and goals…

This review of the literature examines the balancing of social and academic needs of students with disabilities and typical students in the context of the trend toward integrating all students into general classrooms regardless of their learning, physical, or emotional characteristics. Issues in the debate over inclusive education are identified,…

This study of five bilingual special education teachers identified three factors affecting attempts to change instructional practices: (1) a positive correlation between special education training and a reductionist approach; (2) relationship between changing both instructional practices and beliefs; and (3) the importance of including fellow…

This guide provides conceptual as well as practical information for meeting the needs of all learners in heterogeneous classrooms. The first six sections discuss the growing heterogeneity in today's classrooms, the rationale for differentiated teaching and learning, the changing roles of teachers and students, the importance of creating classroom…