Major reform is occurring across our nation in delivering services to students with disabilities in secondary schools. The impetus for such change is the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and its challenges and implications for the secondary classroom. NCLB requires that all students be taught by a teacher who is highly qualified in the content area…

This article describes practices in inclusive education in Australian schools and classrooms. In discussing the changes that schools have made in order to be inclusive and responsive to student diversity, the author refers to one Australian school and its re-organization and also to recent Australian research on building inclusive school cultures.…

This narrative study examined teachers' perceptions of their inclusive classrooms. Eight early childhood teachers responded to open-ended interview questions about their experiences teaching children with and without disabilities in the same classroom environment. The social constructivist view of teaching and learning is highlighted as the…

Seeking information about preconceived notions of the educational needs of children who are gifted, we asked 285 undergraduates in prerequisite classes for teacher education to complete questionnaires. Topics addressed included the need for special services for children who are gifted, perceptions of forms of service delivery in elementary…

The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the specific classroom organizational behaviors that middle school inclusive teachers report as expectations for students with learning disabilities. Practicing middle school science and social studies teachers (n = 12) responded to a survey about organization behaviors of students with learning…

Majority of students with mental and/or motor impairments are frequently placed in general physical education classes. However, these students often are unable to attain the expected outcomes in these general settings. Based on the experience of the authors, general physical educators often attempt to modify their goals, objectives, teaching…

This discussion of inclusive education notes current controversies and proposes that inclusion, as it is currently conceived, has too narrow a focus and should be extended to cover, not just students with disabilities, but all children because all children have unique needs. After an introductory section, the paper identifies such problems with…

This set of four short videocassettes promotes the use of promising practices advocating fully inclusive education for students with diverse learning abilities in their neighborhood schools. The first video, titled "Seven Steps to Problem Solving," presents a problem-solving process that empowers teams to work together to meet diverse…

This Curriculum Guide provides practical curricular suggestions that correspond to the best practice indicators included in the Early Childhood Special Education Program Design and Evaluation Guide (EC-SPEED). Developed through funds provided by the Ohio Department of Education as one of several of EC-SPEED materials, it is based on the assumption…

Educators from 41 high schools and middle schools in south-central West Virginia were surveyed regarding their use of curriculum modifications for inclusion of students with mild disabilities. Educators were asked to identify modifications that they use, do not use, or would consider using. Findings indicate that respondents were employing only 6…

This book chapter addresses the evolution of integrated classrooms in Manitoba (Canada), with particular attention to two models, the cluster model and the neighborhood school integration model. The cluster model integrates a large number of children with disabilities within a large accessible school. The neighborhood school integration model is…

This journal theme issue focuses on mainstreaming of gifted children. "How Gifted Kids Can Survive in 'Inclusion' Classrooms" by Susan Winebrenner offers guidelines for compacting and differentiating the curriculum for gifted students within the regular classroom setting. It also addresses guiding independent study. "Challenging…

A study was undertaken to examine the attitudes of parents and teachers toward the integration of young children with special needs and typically developing children into the same early childhood settings, and to determine any significant differences between the teachers' and parents' attitudes. An integration questionnaire was administered to 30…

Without fear, there is no courage, only ignorance of a situation's dynamics. Acknowledging a decision's liabilities promotes fear and forces the educational leader to exercise courage in formulating and carrying out a response to that situation. Courage alone is not enough, however, and could lead to professional suicide. Wisdom to marshal that…

This book is the result of a project to identify and disseminate examples of good practice in providing for children experiencing social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties in schools. The focus is on whole-school or classroom approaches to mainstreaming with experience from teachers of preschool to secondary grades. A major theme is providing…