The article describes teacher-directed and student-mediated comprehension strategies to improve the text comprehension skills of mainstreamed students with mild disabilities. Techniques include advance organizers, study guides, color coding, oral reading, critical thinking maps, and self-questioning techniques. Guidelines are offered for assessing…

The article examines the General Education Initiative of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in light of (1) the failure of past major reform efforts to help students with learning problems, and (2) questionable assumptions about how such students learn. The expansion of special education support to other at-risk students…

Computers can be used in a study skills program for students with mild disabilities to enhance text comprehension in content areas, develop vocabulary, organize and monitor errors of written work, and increase research skills for information location. (MSE)

The importance of instrumental use of curriculum-based measurement in planning reading programs was investigated with 53 mildly handicapped students and 29 teachers. Students whose measured reading performance was used to design instructional reading programs achieved better than control group students and students whose reading performance was…

The article describes a continuum of instructional options for teaching reading to mildly and moderately handicapped students. Level 1 utilizes the basal text; Level 2 adds special individualized strategies to build fluency, comprehension, or accuracy to the mainstream basal program; and Level 3 selects other reading materials more appropriate to…

Describes 1983 pilot program to train regular teachers as special education "extension agents" or "teacher-consultants" for rural South Carolina elementary schools. During three summer sessions, teacher trainees received coursework and instructed mildly handicapped, learning disabled, and mentally retarded children,…

Analysis of 40 federally funded grants to prepare teachers of students with mild/moderate disabilities examines the degree to which grant proposers articulated a philosophy of cooperation between regular and special education, translation of the philosophical commitment into program design, and changes in the extent of cooperation over recent…

Recent research on effective classroom management practices is summarized. Effective practices include organizing classroom space, establishing rules, developing classroom procedures, maintaining the learning environment (e.g., matching instruction to individual needs and monitoring pupil performance), and assessing the effectiveness of management…

This article discusses needs of parents and families of at-risk students and students with mild disabilities. It examines responsibilities of various professionals and offers suggestions for addressing these needs. Tables display data on educators' perceptions of parent/family needs and responsibility for responding to those needs. (DB)

The Early Literacy Project focused on involving students in contextualized literary activities, developing learning strategies, constructing classroom dialogs about literacy, supporting learners in their zones of proximal development, and creating literacy communities. Research with 88 primary-grade students with mild disabilities indicated clear…

Home interviews conducted with 102 families of children with developmental delays assessed ecocultural family resources, values, goals, and proactive adaptive efforts. Factor analyses on the ecocultural measures revealed 12 salient factors. Some factors were unique and statistically independent of traditional home environment measures. Significant…

This paper on secondary students with mild disabilities, in the context of the twenty-fifth anniversary of papers by Lloyd Dunn and Evelyn Deno, focuses on adult outcomes indicating the efficacy level of secondary special education programs; alternative curricular orientations available; and current and emerging curricular models associated with…

This study assessed the time estimation recall of 51 elementary students with and without emotional disturbances, learning disabilities, and attentional disorders. Group differences in time estimation recall were documented, but these differences were no longer significant after controlling for IQ. Students who scored higher on time estimation…

Analysis of data on 97 elementary students with and 97 without mild disabilities found that teachers' attitudes toward integration were not related to the social status of students with disabilities. However, teacher and peer perceptions of academic behavior and peer perceptions of disruptive behavior were related to social status for both student…

This study, involving 11 young children with mild disabilities, found that, on reduction of teacher attention, children in 2 classrooms performed their reading tasks appropriately whereas children in the third classroom did not maintain on-task behavior with minimal teacher support. On implementation of a simple checksheet procedure, three of the…