This article highlights selected mandates contained in two federal provisions assuring the educational rights of handicapped children. Public Law 94-142 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are analyzed to identify mandated requirements relative to the least restrictive environment. (JN)

A study of 61 preservice teachers in K-6 classrooms investigated the subjects' overall attitude toward mainstreaming, their confidence in their ability to work with handicapped children, and their attitude toward the role of the regular teacher in special education evaluation and placement. (MT)

The hearing impaired child has been the most neglected exceptional student in the public day school system. Mainstreaming efforts should consider the individual educational needs of both severely and less severely hearing impaired students. (JN)

Sixty-seven Georgia teachers were surveyed on their opinions about the most appropriate educational placement for handicapped children, by type and severity of handicap. Respondents were more willing to accept behaviorally and physically handicapped children into their classrooms than they were to accept the mentally retarded. (SJL)

Because the physically disabled student must adjust to his/her inclusion into a nonhandicapped environment and to large group instruction simultaneously, the preparation of inservice teachers and nonhandicapped students should acquaint them with the physical, psychosocial, and academic factors associated with handicaps. (JN)

The teacher in the mainstreamed classroom should focus on three considerations: (1) the importance of social integration; (2) the importance of academic discrepancy between the handicapped and nonhandicapped as a factor in the decision to mainstream; and (3) the importance of individual instruction to the success of the mainstreaming program. (JN)

Although the behaviorally disordered pupil may be among the most difficult to successfully reintegrate into the regular classroom, procedures do exist for facilitating this process. There are three kinds of integration: temporal integration or time stipulations; instructional integration; and social integration which defines acceptance by…

Summarized are three studies which used the Barclay Classroom Climate Inventory to measure the psychological and social-affective impact of six different classroom settings and a specific mainstreaming procedure on 240 educable mentally retarded and learning disabled pupils. Implications for mainstreaming and placement decisions are drawn. (SJL)