The central premise underlying gifted education is that gifted students can and should be distinguished or differentiated from the larger, non-gifted population, and once identified, should receive specialized services. This paradigm is strongly rooted in the psychometric tradition and draws upon the "medical model" by defining characteristics or…

A study was performed for the Colorado State Library to assess the current status of resource sharing--i.e., interlibrary loan (ILL), reference referral, and document delivery--among Colorado librarians, for the purpose of creating a benchmark for evaluating current services and for making recommendations for improvements in these areas. Four…

The digest presents recent statistics regarding educational services for handicapped children, including data on who is being served, how that population is changing, and what trends are affecting special education today. The report answers the following questions: how are handicapped children defined for purposes of the Education for All…

The Better Babies Project is attempting to intervene with inner city pregnant women, many of whom are poor, to change their behavior in order to reduce the many behavioral risks associated with delivering a low birthweight infant. The research objective of this intervention is to offer and document the provision of consistent and comprehensive…

The problem of disseminating scientific and humanistic knowledge to all segments of the population has thus far been explored in terms of socioeconomic and pedagogical impediments to science and liberal arts literacy. This paper seeks to recast this problem as a consequence of "book technology," and in particular explores how books and…

Part of a volume which explores current issues in service delivery to infants and toddlers (ages birth to 3) with handicapping conditions, this chapter presents program evaluation as a comprehensive process comprising three phases: input, process, and output. Three program evaluation models are summarized: Tyler's objective model, Scriven's…

The report provides evaluation data (1986-87) for the Resource Access Project (RAP) network, a system to facilitate the delivery of handicap services in Head Start programs. The introduction provides background information on the network and summarizes changes in the network during this program year. Changes include budgetary cuts due to the…

This handbook provides information about the characteristics of students who are enrolled in senior high schools in Alberta and offers information useful in organizing and operating secondary schools to meet the needs of students. The first section of the handbook addresses the diverse characteristics and needs of senior high students, and…

This report examines the quality of life for individuals with mental retardation who live in a range of residential service settings in New York, and explores issues related to the provision of housing and appropriate supports. Five settings were studied: (1) an intentional Christian community where three individuals with mental retardation live…

The site visit report describes the Family Support Services program run by the Calvert County (Maryland) Association for Retarded Citizens. The program's goal is to prevent any person 21 years of age or younger from being institutionalized. It provides respite care services, specialized family support, and integrated day care for approximately 50…

The report presents detailed descriptions of 12 exemplary secondary vocational education programs for students with special needs. Programs were selected by a panel of experts from 250 nominated projects and programs, of whom 96 completed a lengthy questionnaire. Site visits were made to each of the 12 finalists. Criteria for selection included…

The report presents detailed descriptions of 10 secondary vocational education programs selected as exemplifying creative approaches to serving the needs of students with special needs. Programs were selected by a panel of experts from among 250 nominees, of whom 96 completed a lengthy questionnaire. Site visits were made to each program. Criteria…

What works and does not work in school systems, colleges, and businesses is discussed with a focus on curriculum in the schools and other organizations. Organizational studies were completed in several school systems nationwide. Ten chapters look at the following: (1) curriculum management (the case of the academy, what curriculum is, the nature…

The literature discussing professional practices of school psychology in South America is very meager. This study attempted to identify demographic characteristics of school psychologists in four South American countries, their typical responsibilities, significant problems, and threats that jeopardize the delivery of psychological services within…

Educational policymakers in many countries have been and continue to be faced with the difficulty of reconciling the principle of equal educational opportunity for all students with the provision of differential programming for gifted students, which is often perceived as elitist. This dilemma mirrors the sociopolitical conflict between emphasis…