The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the longstanding pattern of lower scholastic performance among marginalized groups of students negatively impacted by poverty, disability, and race. The perception among educators and citizens continues to be that practices around equal rights equate to provisions related to equity. In Arkansas, the unknown…

Deficit notions about the cognitive potential of individuals from nondominant communities have persisted in social science inquiry, particularly where literacy is concerned. The intellectual trails of current conflicting ideas about literacy can be traced in part to theories about the role of literacy in society. For example, the great divide…

Difference, like nature, calls forth possibilities for developing transformative relationships. According to Keller in 1985, "Difference thus invites a form of engagement and understanding that allows for the preservation of the individual. Self and other survive in a structural integrity?" Moving towards inclusion requires that we consider…

People with disabilities constitute a collective that requires continuous and customized attention, since their conditions or abilities are affected with respect to specific standards. People with "Acquired Brain Injury" (ABI), or those who have suffered brain injury at some stage after birth, belong to this collective. The treatment these people…

Research is reviewed concerning instructional pacing (characterized by manipulating within-trial intervals or intertrial intervals) and its implications for special education. Research needs and problems are cited. (CL)

The article examines various models of aptitude-treatment interaction that guide studies regarding differentiation of instruction based on learner characteristics with specific reference to individualization of instruction for special education pupils. The examination reveals scant evidence to support the notion of individualization. (Author/CL)

The author outlines nine principles relevant to planning instruction for students who experience difficulties in academic and social skills. (SBH)

The article provides a rationale for the consideration of the processing differences of exceptional learners and discusses how these differences influence the development of the skills necessary for normal school achievement. (PHR)

The authors propose a framework for considering ways to meet the needs of black handicapped children. The framework recognizes three aspects: cultural background (ethnic customs, parental status, socioeconomic status, societal acceptancy, and individual uniqueness); teacher preparation (personal qualities, experiences, and teacher training); and…

The paper describes the diagnostic and prescriptive medical model used by most special educators and presents an alternative model based on the work of Jean Piaget. The author contends that the presently used model is useless both educationally and for research purposes because the teaching and learning process is more complex than the medical…

Four studies are offered from a Piagetian perspective on providing children with an optimal microcomputer environment. Guidelines stress the importance of flexibility, and a hierarchical software environment. (CL)

Twenty ways are presented to help students with special needs gain and apply learning strategies more efficiently, including helping students discriminate whether information is useful or irrelevant, focusing on metacognitive development, encouraging self-sufficiency, helping students organize material into meaningful units, and having student…

This article reviews the life of the educational psychologist, Lev S. Vygotsky, as it affected the development of his ideas about the education of children with disabilities. These ideas include the necessity of considering not only the primary disability but also the secondary, tertiary and subsequent strata affecting the student's learning. (DB)

This report describes a project which analyzed science and social studies textbooks to determine how well they accommodate the learning needs of mainstreamed hard-to-teach students. A textbook analysis tool was developed, and eight teacher-reviewers examined the instructional design of teachers' and students' editions of 12 leading elementary and…

The use of the laserdisc in the classroom is described. Major advantages of the laserdisc are durability and large information storage capacity. Connecting the laserdisc with a microcomputer allows quick access to and interaction with the information it contains. Five uses of the system are further discussed: archival, demonstration, illustration…