Noting that many teachers and teacher educators were unprepared for the rapid spread of inclusionary placements for at-risk and special learners, this fastback presents principles and practices for teaching struggling learners the basic reading skills they need for academic progress and lifelong learning. The discussions in the fastback are…

This video features the Head Start program director and the school district special education administrator describing and commenting on aspects of the successful collaboration between the Manhattan-Ogden (Kansas) school district and the local Head Start program to gradually include disabled children in the regular Head Start classrooms. The…

This report summarizes a follow-up study of the first cohort of 5,500 limited-English-proficient (LEP) students to be mainstreamed in Newark, New Jersey schools using English-language proficiency as the sole criterion for moving from bilingual to regular classrooms. The mainstreamed cohort was compared to regular students using basic achievement…

This study attempted to implement and validate a 5-month effort to transition 42 pupils with mild and moderate disabilities (most with learning disabilities) out of math instruction in special education resource rooms and into regular education math. A preliminary discussion examines the "cascade of services" model and transenvironmental…

This guide offers specific recommendations to Texas school districts concerning the implementation of least restrictive environment (LRE) requirements for students with disabilities. Suggestions are grouped according to six issues recommended for consideration in the decision making process: These are: (1) the primacy of the individual student's…

An evaluation was conducted of a Michigan pilot project that sought to expand the activities of aides concerning promotion of least restrictive environment for students with disabilities. The evaluation consisted of a historical summary of the project, on-site observations, and analysis of follow-up evaluation instruments submitted by 49 general…

A master's level program was developed by the University of South Dakota to train teachers to serve children with disabilities within the general school environment. Twenty-six leaders in special education and regular education, all practicing teachers, were selected to participate in the project and to serve as a core group in the statewide…

This paper reports a practicum which attempted to improve delivery of speech language services to children with speech language handicaps in two elementary schools without pulling students out of regular classes. The speech language pathologist (SLP) implemented a collaborative approach with regular teachers providing support in the areas of…

Cochlear implants have tremendous potential to aid profoundly deaf students in achieving competency in using spoken communication. Children with cochlear implants do not perceive sound in the same way as normal hearing individuals do, and realizing their potential requires long-term intensive instruction and the utilization of a multidisciplinary…

This proceedings contains summaries of 24 conference papers focusing on new directions in gifted education. Each paper's summary is about four pages in length. Papers have the following titles and authors: "Supporting Giftedness in Girls in the Classroom" (Julia Ellis); "A Community of Learners in ECS" (Anne Green);…

Since 1975, when a federal task force first recommended educating mildly and moderately disabled students in the regular classroom, support has grown for full inclusion of all students in the mainstream. West Feliciana Parish (Louisiana), a poor rural school district in which all students are designated at-risk, has successfully integrated all…

This paper is the first in a three-part series on the fiscal provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It provides a brief overview, history, and related background information on the major federal special education funding programs, including basic state grants under Part B of the IDEA (which require participating…

This practicum was designed to provide speech and language therapy to children identified as speech and language impaired, in a Head Start classroom with typically developing peers. The practicum involved amending Head Start component plans, discussing inclusion issues at four education component meetings, conducting an interagency meeting with…

This study examined variations among Local Education Authorities (LEAs) in England in the levels of segregation of children with disabilities into special schools between the years 1982 and 1990. Major findings included the following: in 1990, English LEAs sent 1.58 percent of the school population to special schools; there were large differences…

This paper examines research and literature related to the education of Virginia students who are deaf or hearing impaired, blind or visually impaired, or multihandicapped. The paper discusses legal considerations such as least restrictive environment and other variables required to be considered when determining appropriate service delivery…