The reauthorization of IDEA, which is now Public Law 108-446, was signed into law by President Bush on December 3, 2004. This article discusses background issues and some of the consequences of this new law for children with learning disabilities. For the first time in a reauthorization of IDEA, the rights of parents and students have been…

Parents of 209 children (162 males and 46 females) with autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome or learning disabilities ranging in age from 4 to 21 years were surveyed about their perceptions of the education of their children. Items on the survey were categorized into 7 areas: school personnel's knowledge about the disability, best practices,…

A program to train volunteer teachers of English to speakers of other languages (ESOL) is described and evaluated. The program was designed to enrich skills for teaching listening, reading, and speaking, and increase volunteers' appreciation and understanding of the multicultural backgrounds of the students in one adult basic education center. The…

A 5-year plan to improve the delivery of services to special needs students was evaluated in Fairbanks, Alaska. The plan focused on developing a model for integrated services and reducing the number of pull-out programs by having special services staff work directly with classroom teachers. Information sources included interviews with 62 staff…

Position papers of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities during 1981-1994 and information about this committee's history, mission, and operational procedures are presented. The position papers and statements are as follows: "Learning Disabilities: Issues on Definition" (1981); "In-service Programs in Learning…

This collection of 13 essays focuses on the many challenges that adults with learning disabilities face in educational, work, and social settings. The essays are: (1) "Adults with Learning Disabilities: An Emerging Area of Professional Interest and Public Attention" (James R. Patton and Edward A. Polloway); (2) "Adult Development Theories: An…

This final report summarizes findings of the First Decade Project, which examined factors related to the successful transition from school to adult life for youth with disabilities. Subjects were two cohorts of graduates from 1985 and 1990, including all special education graduates (N=488) and randomly selected nondisabled graduates (N=610) from…

This annual report on minority, female, and disabled groups in Illinois higher education details efforts to improve student and staff representation, and surveys trends in enrollment, degree completion, and staff employment. The report shows increases in black and Hispanic graduate/professional enrollment, transfers from community colleges to…

This book presents discussions of the practical implementation of inclusion principles with students having learning and/or behavioral problems and disorders. The chapters, arranged under two topical units, "Perspectives and Experiences" and "Best Practices" are: (1) "Inclusion: Chasing the Impossible Dream? Maybe"…

This paper reports qualitative and quantitative data obtained about relationships between 27 students with special language needs or learning disabilities and their nondisabled peers (N=99) in four integrated eighth grade classes of an urban middle school in Massachusetts. The study involved approximately 120 hours of in-school observation over a…

Proceedings of the February 1993 conference on college instruction and services to promote retention and success of high-risk (limited-ability, limited-English-proficient (LEP), and learning-disabled) college students include prefatory remarks, a keynote address, panel presentations, and summaries of discipline-based workshops. The keynote…

This report summarizes activities and findings of a federally funded center at the Arkansas Children's Hospital which reviewed and disseminated literature on the identification and assessment of children with attention deficit disorders (ADD). Meetings throughout Arkansas led to the identification of interest areas, and findings are summarized for…

This monograph addresses common misconceptions about developmental disabilities, describes the conditions that child welfare workers are most likely to see, provides examples of effective interventions, and stresses the importance of early intervention to promote healthy development. Specific chapters include: (1) "Understanding Developmental…

The Transition Services program of the Onondaga-Dortland-Madison Board of Cooperative Educational Services (New York) has been identified as an exemplary school-to-work program that includes students with disabilities. The program serves students aged 13-21, most with disabilities; the majority have mental retardation, serious emotional…

Correctional education has a long history dating to 1790. Political, legal, economic, and numerical realities have shaped its direction more frequently than the educational needs of inmates. Education is seen as serving a variety of purposes: behavior control, empowerment, change in personal behavior and values, and reduction in recidivism. The…