Short-term workshops with a competency orientation and a practicum component can increase the competence of teachers of severely handicapped students. Self-evaluation as a means of documenting the degree of competence and workshop effectiveness should be of particular concern. (JD)

The teacher in the mainstreamed classroom should focus on three considerations: (1) the importance of social integration; (2) the importance of academic discrepancy between the handicapped and nonhandicapped as a factor in the decision to mainstream; and (3) the importance of individual instruction to the success of the mainstreaming program. (JN)

Although the behaviorally disordered pupil may be among the most difficult to successfully reintegrate into the regular classroom, procedures do exist for facilitating this process. There are three kinds of integration: temporal integration or time stipulations; instructional integration; and social integration which defines acceptance by…

The contract system is made up of four parts: the actual student contract; the progress report; suggestions for accommodating special needs students in vocational and regular classrooms; and proposed guidelines for classroom teachers who have special needs students in their classes. (LRA)

Teachers, physical education personnel, administrators, parents, and peers should understand and accept asthmatic children. All should actively participate in developing the asthmatics' abilities to control the illness and to gain skills and learning from the school programs. (CJ)

Texas small schools have promising programs, innovative practices, and pressing problems. They utilize mainstreaming and provide special materials for the gifted and talented. Problems are primarily in the areas of hiring and retaining teachers, financing programs, and energy costs. (CM)

As an extension of the focus on the relation of special education to regular education, this study investigated the national pattern of change in the school provision for educable mental retardation for the years 1940 to 1976. Across states, increased uniformity of inclusion of mentally exceptional students is apparent. (Author/GK)

In response to PL 94-142, the College of Education at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale has integrated special education concepts into its preservice core courses. The program's training focus, knowledge and attitude objectives are outlined in this article, one of seven describing Dean's Grant programs for PL 94-142 training. (SJL)

The Roosevelt University College of Education conducted two studies to reevaluate its preservice course content and the effectiveness of its program in light of PL 94-142. Results are summarized in this article, one of seven in this issue describing Dean's Grant programs for preservice training in PL 94-142. (SJL)

Through Dean's Grant funding, the College of Education at Illinois State University (Normal) initiated a reconceptualization of its four-semester elementary teacher preparation program named "CORE." This article describes the collaborative program planning effort. One of seven Dean's Grant programs for PL 94-142 training described in…

Preservice training that provides for contact with different kinds of exceptional children as well as for lecture discussions about them was found to have an advantage over training limited to lecture discussions in the realm of attitudes and behavioral intentions, but not in factual knowledge. (SBH)

As part of Lapham Elementary School's mainstreaming project MAZE, student volunteers serve as aides in the music classes of their handicapped schoolmates. (SJL)

Competency-based materials can help in mainstreaming disadvantaged students, who especially need encouragement and motivation. The author gives illustrations of several different ways of using such materials with disadvantaged students in distributive education. (MF)

The principal of a special school for physically and mentally handicapped students in Milwaukee reviews the history of services for handicapped persons as well as current approaches used in her school. Provisions for least restrictive environment are discussed, and the concept of appropriate and individual education programs is applied to…

The activities described include production and/or procurement of special media textbooks (tape, large print, and braille) and specialized equipment, as well as the administrative service function. (Author)