This meta-analysis synthesized over 40 years of research (k = 42 studies) in the social studies for students with learning disabilities. We analyzed the various mechanisms that researchers have used to improve outcomes in the social studies by conducting a subgroup investigation of interventions targeting the following instructional categories:…

Special education teachers (SETs) who teach students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) in self-contained settings are often less qualified, more stressed and burned out, and more likely to leave teaching than other SETs, resulting in a less effective workforce teaching students with significant behavioral and academic needs. Working…

This study reports practices implemented in over 2,000 minutes by 16 middle school special education and general education co-teaching pairs in English language arts classes. We report the extent to which teachers integrated literacy activities that support reading comprehension, the co-teaching models used, and the frequency with which each…

Factors influencing change in the population served under the label of mild retardation and the effects of the overall functional levels of mildly retarded students are examined. (Author/CL)

An alternative to homogeneous grouping, involving direct assessment of academic productivity and pre-training for group work, is illustrated by two experiments which used contingency management techniques to develop and maintain high rates of academic productivity in a group of two boys with school adjustment problems and in a larger group. (KW)

The article reviews the research on effects of cooperative learning on the academic achievement of students with handicaps. Findings of the 12 studies meeting the selection criteria were inconsistent. (Author/DB)

The need for a system of special education which covers all aspects of interprofessional and interagency relationships is discussed. (Author)

The reading instruction, grouping practices, and outcomes for 59 students with learning disabilities (LD) in resource room settings were examined by this follow-up study. Whole class instruction was the dominant grouping format and only half of the special education teachers provided differentiated materials and instruction. Overall, no…

In the early 1960s, four special education categories (slow learners, mentally retarded, emotionally disturbed, and culturally deprived) were used to explain the failure of lower class and minority children, while the less stigmatizing category of learning disabilities explained the failures of white middle class children. Later events changed the…

A synthesis of 20 studies that investigated the perceptions of 4,659 elementary and secondary students (760 with disabilities) of instructional procedures in inclusive classrooms found that students with high-incidence disabilities and their typical peers want to have the same activities, books, homework, grading criteria, and grouping practices…

To examine the efficacy of using generic categories and programs that include educable mentally retarded (EMR), learning disabled, and emotionally disturbed children, 40 educationally handicapped and 20 EMR children (9 to 13 years old) were compared using five problem-solving tasks. (IM)

An introduction to a special focus issue on the relationship between general educational reform and special education, the article summarizes four national reports on excellence in education. Sections that address special education are identified, as well as related issues such as teacher preparation, grouping practices, and the use of…

Students (n=295) with learning disabilities, ages 8-14, scored higher and had greater growth rates in 4 mathematics domains (basic concepts, listening vocabulary, problem solving, and fractions) than did age-equivalent students (n=206) with mild mental retardation. Data indicate the need to carefully consider curriculum and instructional decisions…

Compared were the effects of small group instruction and cross-age tutorial instruction on 29 learning disabled, educable retarded, or emotionally disturbed elementary school children in a resource room setting. (Author/MC)

This study examined reading instruction and grouping practices for students with learning disabilities through interviews with 14 special education teachers and observations of their resource room instruction. Teachers primarily provided whole group reading instruction and little differentiated instruction or materials despite the wide range of…