Two federal statutes govern the provisions for special education in public schools. Briefly describes these laws and some of the challenges to their compliance within the school choice context. Describes and analyzes four case studies representing four types of school choice plans currently in operation. Offers recommendations for policymakers.…

Reports on a study about mainstreaming issues in music education among 107 Arizona music educators. Finds that, in most schools, mainstreaming is the only music placement option, and regular music teachers are the sole providers of instruction for special learners. Concludes that effective mainstreaming does not exist in Arizona. (CFR)

Provides a brief overview of the legal context of litigation regarding whether children with disabilities are entitled to be placed in the regular education program with supplemental aids and services. Examines federal circuit rulings since 1990 that highlight the complexities involved. (39 footnotes) (MLF)

Summarizes presentations at an international symposium on "Autonomy and Foreign Language Learning." Topics include the good language learner; experiments in learner autonomy; individualized learning in Italian universities; adult language learning; learner autonomy in the classroom; cultural variation in learning styles; use of…

Discusses the implications of research findings that responsive teaching techniques improve the classroom interactions of preschool children with learning disabilities for classroom-based early intervention. Considers the use of responsive strategies in writing Individualized Education Plan and Individualized Family Service Plan goals and…

This article describes strategies for integrating alternate assessments into the context of ongoing instruction and for enabling students with disabilities to take a more active role in the construction and self-evaluation of their own assessments. Fourth-grade, seventh-grade, and middle school examples of integrating assessment and instruction…

Discussion of the principle of least restrictive environment (LRE) in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) reviews sociopolitical, legal, and educational data. The article suggests that concerns about LRE placement have obscured the preeminent issue of free and appropriate instruction, another IDEA principle. Some principles of…

This is the story of Lily, a 12-year-old girl with Williams Syndrome (WS). A reading program was developed to meet Lily's specific reading needs while addressing her individual learning style; this includes attending to the unique characteristics of Williams Syndrome. During this school year, Lily showed significant gains in sight word recognition…

This ethnographic study examined Chinese-speaking parents of children with disabilities: awareness of their legal rights, their perceived barriers to being joint decision makers, and the type of supports and services they would like to receive from schools. Results suggested that Chinese-speaking parents were knowledgeable about their legal…

This book contains 17 papers devoted to the counseling of college students. The following papers are included: "Introduction" (Darrell Anthony Luzzo); "Established Career Theories" (Paul J. Hartung, Spencer G. Niles); "Emerging Career Theories" (Spencer G. Niles, Paul J. Hartung); "Emotional-Social Issues in the…

In Ohio, a food service program is partnering with a national restaurant chain to help students with learning disabilities transition from school to work. The Greene County Career Center in Xenia, Ohio, has a food service program satisfying the appetites of visitors, students and staff, as well as meeting the training goals of students with…

The purpose of this investigation was to understand the variables that influence parents' perceptions of the Wisconsin Alternate Assessment (WAA). Parents and teachers of elementary and secondary students with severe cognitive disabilities (n = 77) from across Wisconsin participated. Teachers submitted case materials that included a copy of the…

This paper describes the successful implementation of an inclusion program which placed students with mild disabilities in regular education classes in a rural Louisiana school system. A unique quality of this program is that it utilized only existing staff. Advantages and disadvantages of such a program and the seven-step program development and…

This report compares and contrasts special education and least restrictive environment requirements for children with disabilities in Nigeria and the United States. The implementation of special education policies in both countries is discussed, including policies in the following areas: referral and identification, nondiscriminatory assessment,…

The Individualized Vocabulary Instruction (IVI) program is a self-contained, individualized computer program that has been used to provide vocabulary instruction to disabled students at California's Los Angeles Pierce College (LAPC) since 1987. The IVI program is divided into two main word groups, called modules, with each module containing 1,125…