When graduate students enter special education programs, they arrive with dispositional knowledge that can assist or hinder them in their professional development. Over the course of two years, the researchers in this study assessed the dispositions of beginning teachers in a special education program at a west coast state university. The…

This study examines the implementation and organization of the state mandated curriculum in the 4-hour SEI block in 18 K-12 classrooms in 5 different districts. We focus on the effects of grouping by language proficiency, the delivery of the structure-based ESL curriculum, the provision of resources and limiting of access to grade-level…

The aim of this study is to determine whether a social skill instruction program, prepared according to the cooperative learning method, is effective for children with hearing disability in learning the basic social skills, starting and continuing a relationship, conducting a work with a group, and the generalization of these skills. Nine learning…

Compared was the academic performance in the third grade of 75 children who had participated in the Complete Communication Development Program, a learning disabilities kindergarten, with the performance of 75 children in regular kindergartens. Stanford Achievement Test scores indicated that the Ss in the special class performed significantly lower…

An investigation of the educational impact of integration of severely handicapped students revealed that over and above functional level, degree of integration, as measured by interaction with nonhandicapped students, was a significant predictor of educational progress, as measured by the proportion of individualized education program objectives…

The effects of a peer tutoring procedure on the spelling behavior of a mainstreamed elementary school learning disabled student were investigated. Overall results indicated that the S obtained greater accuracy on the spelling tests during the peer tutoring than baseline condition. Both the tutor and the tutored student claimed improved spelling.…

Four crucial areas in the success of mainstreaming are good communication, administrative support, adequate time, and inservice training. (Author)

The preparation of teachers for regular schools has clearly needed to undergo quite significant change in recent years. One major adjustment has been the necessity to prepare teachers for progressively more diverse student populations as they will increasingly be required to teach in inclusive classrooms. Many teacher education institutions are,…

Mainstreaming may not be the most efficient instructional approach for those mildly retarded persons with limited potential. (CL)

The paper is a product of the 3-year project, "Functional Mainstreaming for Success," designed to develop a model for instructional mainstreaming of handicapped children (3-6 years old) in community settings. The paper reviews the literature defining "mainstreaming," notes that mainstreaming is not the wholesale return of exceptional students from…

Preservice teachers need to be prepared for mainstreaming of handicapped students into the regular classroom. The attitudes of preservice teachers toward education of the handicapped in regular classes were assessed to discover if college courses dealing with special education influence attitudes. (DF)

Five historical stages are identified in analysis of placement efficacy for mildly retarded students: (1) birth of the efficacy question, (2) tremendous growth in special classes, (3) move to abolish such classes, (4) search for alternatives along the continuum of services, and (5) recent re-analysis of appropriate placements. Research is…

The article reports results of a study on the Adaptive Learning Environment designed to integrate moderately handicapped students in regular classes on a full-time basis. Data supported the ALEM as a feasible and effective approach and identified significant reading and math achievement gains for regular and special education students. (CL)

An updated empirical and conceptual review of preschool mainstreaming is presented. Specific topics addressed include rationale, program outcomes, child outcomes, teacher variables, and effects on parents. Among conclusions is that the effects of mainstreaming on severely handicapped children are largely unknown. (Author)

The study evaluated a school-based integrated aerobic conditioning program for children (ages 6 to 13) with moderate to severe disabilities. Evaluation indicated that 9 of the 12 disabled students improved their level of fitness and that both disabled and nondisabled students enjoyed the program. (Author/DB)