This paper presents and discusses the key findings from a study funded by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) that explored the relationship between achievement and inclusion in mainstream schools in England. Overall the results indicate that, although there is a small statistical relationship between inclusion and academic achievement,…

This research used qualitative methods to gather the perceptions of regular classroom teachers and students with and without mild disabilities (MD) about an inclusive program implemented in three separate classrooms and designed to enhance both the academic and social engagement of a small number of students with MD. Teachers acknowledged that…

With the large number of students with autism entering the educational system, the need for empirically supported treatment (EST) in the classroom and special education teachers with training in autism and ESTs is necessary now more than ever. This paper describes a collaborative model between 2 universities aimed at providing teacher-candidate…

A basic need for a child is to belong to a group (Maslow, 1970). Groups help children: to develop relationships and to foster individual mental health (Johnson and Johnson, 1989); and disabled and non-disabled children, when given assistance, can develop relationships with each other (Sideris, 1998). But there are very few opportunities in Cyprus…

The federal mandates set forth by the Individual with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) require an increase in inclusive education for students with special education needs in the least restrictive environment. This type of environment can be in a 'co-taught' classroom. Co-teaching is defined as an…

Students involved in systemic/behavioral intervention approaches in a behavior disorder program within a public school system demonstrated statistically significant gains in attendance, academic credits, and mainstreaming success compared to previous regular school records. Initial follow up data demonstrated more continued education, higher…

In an examination of a school-based program to develop creative thinking skills of gifted children in the beginning intermediate grades, few differences were found in curricular achievement between gifted children in segregated homogeneous classes and in hetergeneous classes. (Author/CL)

A token reinforcement program was successful not only in promoting positive behavior changes in a mainstreamed behavior problem second grader but also in creating attitude changes in her regular class teachers. Findings suggest that positive commitments to mainstreaming were related to the teacher's effectiveness in improving students'…

Discusses a study of the efficacy of mainstreaming. The goal of the study was to see what actually went on in schools, how people thought about mainstreaming, what they did about it, and how teachers, administrators, and students experienced it. (JOW)

The author recounts personal experiences with her severely retarded daughter and goes on to consider the principles of mainstreaming. (SBH)

Dr. Stephen R. Pickard is currently serving as an adjunct professor at Gardner-Webb University located in Boiling Springs North Carolina. He is a retired educator having served 21 years as a classroom teacher at both the middle and elementary levels. In addition to his service as a classroom teacher, Dr. Pickard served as a public school…

The degree to which special educators serve in a meaningful collaborative capacity in inclusive classrooms has come under scrutiny, and hence, the quality of collaboration training afforded requires examination.This article describes the results of a survey conducted with 53 undergraduate pre-service special education training programs…

Federal and state regulations mandating inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classes have made it essential to create pathways for pre-service teachers to develop skills to teach content to diverse groups of students. The study uses a framework suggested by the relationship between teacher attitude and teacher behavior…

The article presents a model of an effectively implemented visual phonics intervention program for kindergarten children at high risk for reading failure in a general education classroom. There is a growing body of professional literature documenting the effectiveness of visual phonics for children who are hard-of-hearing or deaf. There is little…

Addressing federal mandates regarding both the delivery of transition services and access to the general education curriculum has been a challenge for secondary special educators. A practice common to both initiatives, however, has been efforts to promote self-determination. This study examined the impact of promoting self-determination as an…