This is a continuation of "Funding of Assistive Technology to Make Work a Reality" (Work and AT), Article # 3 in this Policy and Practice Brief Series. This article will review the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), with a particular emphasis on how the ADA can be used to ensure that a person with a disability has…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the systemic change process and strategies used by key stakeholders within a local education agency when they changed from the traditional discrepancy model for learning disabilities identification to the Response to Intervention (RTI) model. The results of this study suggest that the change to…

The Texas Study of Students at Risk (TxSSAR) is a comprehensive evaluation examining the effectiveness of three state-level programs with the common goal of helping students at risk of failure to achieve academically. The study comprises investigations of the Optional Extended Year Program (OEYP), the Texas After School Initiative (TASI), and the…

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of the school board/superintendent relationship on academic achievement in one Texas school district that serves high-poverty, majority-minority students. Previous studies identified successful school systems with school boards and superintendents who functioned as a true leadership team.…

The course of enrollments, events, and decision-making leading up to the 1980 dismissal of five faculty at Goucher College is outlined in terms of: financial exigency, termination of tenured appointments, ruptures in due process and faculty participation, and absence of a decision for program discontinuance. (MSE)

A case study of an anonymous college that experienced the threat of failure but managed to revitalize its operation is presented. Participant observation, interviews, and document review were used in the study that focused on the period just prior to closing and the period since its reopening. (MLW)

Recent studies of the Chicago Bar Association suggest there is an important gap between what is taught in law school and most of the practice of law. Whether anyone cares about this gap, and what can be learned about the legal system from the studies, are discussed. (Author/MSE)

Describes and analyzes a decade-long effort at administrative development by which the Colombian Ministry of Education struggled to bring order to a jumble of state educational systems that were functioning in a disorganized condition of semi-anarchy. Examines the historical organizational and administrative problems associated with the public…

Continues the chronicle of the development of a young reader. Details his growth in reading and interests in his third year. (FL)

Discusses the problems of women who return to college late in life, and the developmental tasks they face. Suggests student personnel staff be aware of their different motivations, assets, problems, and changing roles. Reports two case studies illustrating the particular problems these students present. (JAC)

Eight major characteristics of educational programs that aim to successfully accommodate exceptional children in regular classes are identified, discussed, and illustrated. The effectiveness of the implementation of the Adaptive Learning Environments Program in a multiage primary classroom of low and high achievers is reported. (Author/RH)

Describes an individual and group method for learning about children's school attitudes, appropriate for students not yet proficient in paper and pencil usage. Gives directions for administration and interpretation of the Kinetic School Drawing, and suggestions for using it as a counseling or diagnostic aid. (KMF)

Student retention at the University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill is examined using different student levels (freshman, transfer, masters, professional, and doctoral) as a basis for comparison. Intrainstitutional data have the advantage of being readily available and they highlight the difference among levels within the institution. Understanding…

Four primary classrooms, three bilingual and one monolingual, were studied. Final observations showed that "language climate" and the extent to which the two languages developed were influenced by the teacher's style, the organization of the school day, and by the ethnic balance of the class and the neighborhood. (SJL)

The processes and effects of state performance audits of postsecondary academic programs are illustrated by case studies in Wisconsin and Virginia. Main problems are: the difficulty of establishing legislative intent; lack of appropriate performance indicators, measures, and standards, and issues of timeliness and impact. (MLW)