Many general education and special education teachers report being unprepared for the challenges of serving students with disabilities in the general education classroom (Kloo & Zigmond, 2008; Rea & Connell, 2005) and lacking skills necessary for co-teaching and collaborating within the school community (Grant & Gillette, 2006; Little…

The quality of relationships between teachers and students has been associated with academic achievement and performance outcomes for students at all levels of their education. Extensive literature examining characteristics of positive relationships between teachers and their elementary age students exists, but is less abundant in regard to…

Students and recent graduates of a generic undergraduate special education program based on the Direct Instruction model as a basis for methods instruction were surveyed about their attitudes toward it. Results supported previous findings with inservice teachers that experience with Direct Instruction increases positive attitudes toward it.…

Describes a multi-university model for delivering a distance-learning special-education course by compressed video to eight undergraduate and graduate student sites in rural Kentucky. Evaluation indicated the model's effectiveness. Advantages and challenges of the approach are identified. (DB)

The Training Rural Educators in Kentucky through Distance Learning project at the University of Kentucky used team teaching in five courses in special education using distance learning technology. Describes five course delivery models: (1) lead/supplemental instructors, (2) multiple instructors, (3) guest lecture, (4) co-instructors with single…

These teacher training materials derive from a personnel preparation special project that developed, implemented, and evaluated a teaching model on collaborations necessary for effective delivery of early intervention. The first module on collaboration provides information on the rationale for collaboration and the benefits and drawbacks of…

This final report of Project Prepare, a federally funded program at the University of Tennessee, describes the critical features and specific goals of the project, as well as program evaluation methods and results. The program was funded to develop a personnel preparation program for early childhood specialists that emphasized an…

Describes an interactive technology-based system designed to support special education teachers' problem-solving training for promoting interventional planning. Utilizing the advantages of the expert-system technology in teacher training, the five training stages from case description to intervention planning and evaluation are presented. A sample…

This report describes a workshop designed and implemented as a team effort by teachers from the vocational education and special education departments at the University of Illinois and the University of Kansas. It is noted that activities at the workshop revolved around meeting the unique needs of ten university-state department teams in…

This final report describes the activities and outcomes of a federally funded program that was developed to increase the supply of early childhood special educators in Utah and surrounding regions and to enhance the quality of their preparation. The project prepared 67 students for preschool special education certification and 40 related service…

This study assessed the effectiveness of a model for providing long distance technical assistance on teacher implementation of an intervention designed to increase child-child social interaction. Subjects were 10 preschool special education teachers and 40 preschool-aged children (some developing normally and some with mild to moderate…

This feature article examines changes needed in special education personnel preparation (such as increasing the supply of qualified personnel). Strategies for meeting these needs are discussed, including methods of using best practices and innovative training methods. An Outcomes-Based Teacher Education model (with proposed knowledge and skill…

These training materials derive from a personnel preparation special project that developed, implemented, and evaluated a teaching model on collaborations necessary for effective delivery of early intervention. Module 1 provides an overview of the history of early intervention and the legal statutes that define early intervention. Module 2…

This directory provides abstracts of 236 current research projects funded by the Division of Innovation and Development, Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. Abstracts are grouped into the following 10 topical sections: (1) assessment and evaluation; (2) cultural differences; (3) infants, young children, and…

This report describes the activities of a personnel preparation special project which developed, implemented, and evaluated a training model focusing on materials and collaborative activities necessary for effective delivery of early intervention. The collaborations focused on three areas: interagency collaborations, cross-disciplinary…