This article discusses the development and implementation of procedures to comply with the Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs in a special British school for children with disabilities. The procedures involve observing the student, conducting diagnostic assessments, determining areas and levels of…

This article begins by describing the principles and beliefs in Nova Scotia that guide educational services for children with disabilities and then discusses findings from a special education implementation review that indicate progress has been made in implementing changes in many special education policy areas. Implementation recommendations are…

Empirical evidence concerning the promise of setting national standards for school improvement is assembled. From this evidence, it is predicted that standards will not lead to the standardization of educational practice, stifled creativity, or minority-student endangerment. Benefits, which are less easily predicted, will depend on the quality of…

California's approach to developing programmatic and administrative models for the implementation of Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) in providing services to young handicapped children is discussed. The models focus on implementing recognized best practices as well as changing state policy and administrative structure to enhance…

This study explored the impact of learning a new instructional practice in a US school district that places great value in a statewide student assessment. Grounded Theory methodology (Strauss & Corbin, 1998, Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory, 2nd Edition, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA)…

ECD policies are influenced by the contexts in which they develop. Those contexts include historical, cultural, social, economic and diverse conceptual dimensions operating at international, regional, country and local levels. These forces impact on policy development as well as on policy implementation. This article briefly situates ECD policy…

This article provides an opportunity to look at issues related to capacity building--how the concept has evolved and how it is currently being applied--and a review of the components of effective capacity building in working with individuals and organizations. This is followed by a description of capacity-building projects undertaken by ECDVU…

Objective: Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has introduced new work-hour guidelines for residents in ACGME accredited programs that were implemented in July 2003. The new ACGME policies impact several practices in various psychiatry residency programs across the U.S., even though psychiatry has not been at the forefront…

This document contains the following papers: "University Continuing Educators: Entrepreneurs or Social Activists" (Phyllis Cunningham); "Ambivalent Activists, Uneasy Enterprisers--and the Search for Truth" (Milton Stern); "Our Role as Change Agents" (Timothy Pyrch, Albert A. Einsiedel); "Entrepreneurial…

The Rochester (New York) School-to-Work Transition Initiative introduces career opportunities and choices to students from prekindergarten through 12th grade and beyond by preparing them for the workplace. The initiative helps students identify their interests and a career direction and enables them to pursue the education and technical training…

The 4MAT system of instructional change is described. The 4MAT system is an eight-step cycle of instruction that capitalizes on individual learning styles and brain-dominance processing preference. Four major learning styles are recognized: (1) imaginative; (2) analytic; (3) common sense; and (4) dynamic. Because in each style there are people…

This digest provides a process for assuring that the unique needs of students who are gifted are addressed within the context of systemic educational reform. Several key elements guide the process: creating belief statements, clarifying the issues, and designing strategies for implementation. Generating belief statements based on what is believed…

This monograph presents identified best practices in the development of Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP) as required for families who have young children with disabilities, by Public Law 99-457, the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments (1986). Chapter One presents an overview of the monograph's development and use. Chapter Two…

This paper provides an overview of federally sponsored training programs. For the major programs identified, it discusses the level of federal support, the eligibility requirements for the program, the characteristics of the participants, and the types of training provided. An important issue for this study is the definition of training; the…

This paper summarizes 14 case studies from 13 countries commissioned by Unesco to describe the educational provisions for adults in the special context of scientific and technological development and to study a selected number of programs at greater depth. The countries chosen by Unesco are all countries with developed or developing industries,…