This paper provides education-based researchers and practitioners with the preferred research and design methods used by Higher Education Institute (HEI) students and Key Stage 3 (KS3) pupils applied within a participatory approach to a design activity. The outcomes were that both pupils and students found informal (unstructured) interview to be…

This book presents case studies of schools' journeys towards effective CPD practice as part of a TDA national project. It tells the story of the goals set and achieved, and the challenges and successes along the way. Each case study makes specific reference to the nine factors or approaches to CPD identified in the book as underpinning effective…

Alternative education programs (also called alternative schools) first appeared on the American landscape in the 1960s. Despite the proliferation of these programs, a generic description of what constitutes an alternative education program, historically, has been elusive. Most alternative education programs have the general criteria of serving…

Each year, Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) informs policymakers and practitioners of what children know and are able to do when they start formal education in kindergarten. This report provides a profile of children's skill levels as they enter school based on the evaluation of their teachers. It includes valuable trend data about…

This practical staff development guide aims to help senior managers, practitioners and others, including placing authorities, to evaluate the quality of provision made for children and young people in residential special schools and secure care accommodation services. It highlights effective ways in which services can fully support some of…

This project was a 2-year investigation of elementary school children placed in programs for high-ability learners. The primary purpose of the study was to investigate academic and affective changes in students during their first 2 years in a gifted program. Students were assessed during the fall of one year and the spring of the next year.…

The introduction to this special issue on private schools for gifted and talented students notes questions raised about such programs and summarizes the nine articles addressing specific programs. (DB)

One approach to student behavior that may be particularly useful in exclusionary settings is school-wide positive behavior supports (PBS). Increasingly, evidence shows that PBS is an effective approach to student behavior in regular public schools (Sugai & Horner, 2005). While the data on behavioral systems in exclusionary schools are…

This study of 26 preadolescents' peer relationships incorporated peer nominations, peer interviews, and direct observations on the playground. Results indicated students with disabilities attending special schools experienced a variety of peer relationships including reciprocal nominations as preferred peers as well as low social status, lack of…

One elementary and two secondary teachers from the Roeper School (Michigan) for gifted students present instructional dilemmas that exemplify the complex nature of teaching. Each case is followed by expert commentaries from within and outside the field of gifted education. Cases address learning from a master teacher, the student with a poor…

Each year, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) informs policymakers and practitioners of what children know and are able to do when they start formal education in kindergarten. This report, which is unique in its kind nationally, provides a profile of children's skill levels as they enter school based on the evaluation of their…

This guide lists facilities that have been issued certificates by the Virginia Board of Education to serve handicapped individuals. The 56 facilities listed include both day programs and residential programs and include services to all age groups from birth through adulthood. Each listing includes facility name and address, administrator and…

Seventy-five violent/assaultive students (age 7-16) attending a specialized day-treatment facility were studied to identify psychoeducational variables differentiating between successfully or unsuccessfully mainstreamed students. Differentiating variables were: follow-up contacts with the public school, numerical ratings on an ecological measure,…

A competitive mathematics program for deaf and hard of hearing junior high students is described. Rules for the competition were developed and a "Math Bowl" was implemented among six schools for the deaf. Sample problems are included. (DB)

A survey of administrators and faculty at schools for the deaf concerning changes in mathematics education found that some aspects of reform (e.g., problem solving, use of concrete materials) have been incorporated into the deaf-education mathematics curriculum but that many "traditional" techniques (e.g., drill and practice, rote memorization)…