This report describes activities and accomplishments of a 3-year federally supported project to develop, implement, and evaluate a model for training paraprofessionals to support students with disabilities in general education classrooms and those who direct and supervise their work. Training materials were developed with a high degree of…

The generally accepted concept of inclusion is that students with disabilities attend classes with their general education peers with direct support from special educators. This digest discusses the rationale for inclusion in middle schools, explores recent research on inclusion, and discusses barriers to implementation. The digest notes that the…

In order to document the effects of including secondary students with severe disabilities in rural middle and high schools, a study was conducted in one senior high school and one middle school in Washington School District, Utah. The schools had a total of 8 students with severe disabilities. Specifically, the study examined the beliefs of…

This book offers a framework designed to help teachers include bilingual learners in their curriculum planning. It considers what is needed for the curriculum to be accessible to all children. The 9 chapters are: (1) "Introduction" (Maggie Gravelle); (2) "'Jamaica's Find': Using a Story Book to Develop Ideas about Writing"…

Natural environments is a term used in the regulations for Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It states that early intervention services must be provided in natural environments, including home and community settings in which children without disabilities participate. Questions addressed in this paper include: (1)…

This report presents a systemic change framework for creating inclusive urban schools. It explains that if a key feature of reform focuses on multicultural education as a fundamental social and educational transformation, then opportunities for all students to achieve educational equity will be realized in U.S. schools. The first section of the…

This report examines the history of special education services in New York City schools in the context of changing perceptions of children with disabilities (from assuming that they should be segregated and cannot contribute to society, to recognizing that inclusion, equality, and achievement are necessary for these children to become productive…

This study provides an evaluation of the national and state level educational environmental placement trends for students, ages 6-11 or 12-17, with learning disabilities (LD), emotional disabilities (ED), mental retardation (MR), or speech and language impairments (SLI) in the decade following implementation of the Regular Education Initiative…

Because extremely small rural districts in Oklahoma have limited resources and are not able to hire additional specialists, and because parents want education in local inclusive settings, most special education teachers in these districts serve students with disabilities for which they are not certified. A survey of school districts in Oklahoma…

This paper explores the rationale for why classroom teachers should be certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and pediatric first aid. It begins by introducing a scenario of two fatal tragedies in a school setting. It also examines a study done of teachers and school aides in inclusive classrooms and their concerns about health and safety…

This 44-minute videotape recording is designed to help those who support individuals with Asperger syndrome and includes the perspectives of a regular classroom teacher, special education inclusion teacher, instructional aide, case manager, psychologist, and parents. The tape provides suggestions to assist students with Asperger syndrome who…

Bridging the gap between child development and strategies for inclusion, this book is intended to help early childhood practitioners and pre-service teachers feel better equipped to meet the needs of all the children in their early childhood setting. Each chapter of the book is a case study introducing a child (ages birth to 8 years) with one or…

Reports are made of research on: (1) attitudes of preservice teachers, inservice teachers, and high school students toward the teaching profession; (2) effects of a teacher supervision model on teacher performance; (3) student teaching and teaching anxiety; (4) practice teaching and creativity; and (5) elementary school teacher attitudes toward…

Since each disabled student must be considered individually, planning and implementing a realistic individualized education program while meeting the mandates of the law will always be difficult. The primary objective of educational diagnosis should be to determine the child's present level of functioning. (JN)