The article traces the history of mass segregation of handicapped students in U.S. public schools, notes the advent of the concepts of mainstreaming and least restrictive environment, and analyzes such ramifications of mainstreaming as increased numbers of handicapped students in college and re-emergence of "tracking" or ability grouping. (CL)

A review of the educational and emotional impact of restrictive educational settings on children in the lowest quartile of achievement asserts that the variables which are important for successful student outcomes can occur in most settings. For ethical reasons the least restrictive environment is preferred. (Author/PN)

Types of training considered include selecting target behaviors which are likely to be maintained by natural consequences, promoting self-management skills, and extending stimulus control through creating similarities between the special and regular class settings and matching the regular class reinforcement frequency in the special class. (DB)

The failure of common methods of research synthesis to arrive at conclusions about effectiveness of special education is discussed. Meta-analysis, the analysis of analyses, is proposed as an alternative. Results of meta-analyses in the areas of special versus regular class placement, process training, and medically-based intervention are…

A meta-analysis was performed on 11 empirical studies of the effects of mainstreaming. Results indicated that mainstreamed disabled students consistently outperformed nonmainstreamed students with comparable special education classifications. The most success was found in programs with design features (such as continuous assessment) suggested by…

Findings of 43 studies examining the effects of class placement on social adjustment of mentally retarded students were reviewed. Studies met the following criteria: (1) they investigated the class placement of mentally retarded students; (2) they included a dependent measure of social adjustment; and (3) they reported quantitative tests of…

The paper distinguishes American and Canadian applications of the terms "mainstreaming" and "integration" in relation to placement of exceptional children in settings which foster interaction between them and their non-handicapped peers such as regular classes in neighborhood schools. The two terms are seen to represent…

The author reviews results of eight research papers with conflicting data on effectiveness of special versus regular class placement for educable mentally retarded children, expresses need for more research, and emphasizes use of the individualized education plan to determine the most appropriate setting for a child. (MC)

Noted are problems such as the increased incidence of handicaps additional to the hearing impairment, the lack of homogeneity among the hearing impaired, and the poor language ability of most hearing impaired students. Current programs in Missouri, California, and New York are briefly described. (DB)

This review of studies comparing children with behavioral disorders in different educational settings found that pupils in self-contained programs displayed greater improvement in academic achievement than did similar pupils in regular classes. However, the reverse pattern applied to changes in self-concept. Follow-up data indicated enormous…

Reviews literature on the benefits to emotionally disturbed children of mainstreaming versus special class placement. Findings are inconclusive. (SJL)

The paper analyzes research on the self concept of differentially placed educable mentally retarded (EMR) students and hypothesizes covarying factors which may suggest to educators variables to be taken into account in placement decisions. Considered are such factors as IQ, reading achievement, and being the only retarded child mainstreamed into a…

The paper describes problems endemic to the evaluation of programs for gifted and talented students. The goals of gifted and talented programs are often substantially different from those covered on outcome measures available to schools. When decisions are being made about the type of programs to be provided, parallel consideration should be given…

This conference panel presentation includes five papers on the implications of inclusive education for gifted and talented children. "The Case for Ability Grouping of Gifted Students" (Carolyn Yewchuk) summarizes research results showing that greatest gains were found in programs that grouped high ability children together and provided a…

The paper reviews research on the effects of placement in full-time special education classes, part-time regular classes with resource support, and full-time regular classes on mildly handicapped students. Also examined are programs designed to improve achievement, social-emotional adjustment, and social acceptance of the academically handicapped…