This article presents teachers' and children's views of the effectiveness of sound-field amplification intervention. The rating scale, Teacher Opinions re Performance in Classrooms (TOPIC) provided information on teacher perceptions regarding changes in student performance in unamplified "OFF" and amplified "ON" listening conditions. The teachers…

Response-to-intervention (RtI) models utilize a proactive, prevention approach that requires the implementation of a sophisticated, multi-tiered problem-solving process in the regular education environment. Effective and sustainable implementation of these models will necessitate a mechanism to support professional development, treatment fidelity,…

Sociocultural contexts influence social behaviors in ways that may not always be reflective of majority-culture norms. They also may vary the impact social skills training (SST) programs have on minority students with learning disabilities. To better understand culturally sensitive and effective SST for students with learning disabilities, it is…

The reauthorization of IDEA, which is now Public Law 108-446, was signed into law by President Bush on December 3, 2004. This article discusses background issues and some of the consequences of this new law for children with learning disabilities. For the first time in a reauthorization of IDEA, the rights of parents and students have been…

Parents of 209 children (162 males and 46 females) with autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome or learning disabilities ranging in age from 4 to 21 years were surveyed about their perceptions of the education of their children. Items on the survey were categorized into 7 areas: school personnel's knowledge about the disability, best practices,…

Special education is now an established part of public education in the United States--by law and by custom. However, it is still widely misunderstood and continues to be dogged by controversies related to such things as categorization, grouping, assessment, placement, funding, instruction, and a variety of legal issues. The purpose of this…

This manual for peer tutors on tutoring community college students was developed as part of the EASE (Equal Access for Students to Education and Experience) Project at seven community colleges in northeastern Minnesota. The manual provides a general overview of policies, benefits, and responsibilities related to peer tutoring. It then offers…

A program to train volunteer teachers of English to speakers of other languages (ESOL) is described and evaluated. The program was designed to enrich skills for teaching listening, reading, and speaking, and increase volunteers' appreciation and understanding of the multicultural backgrounds of the students in one adult basic education center. The…

A 5-year plan to improve the delivery of services to special needs students was evaluated in Fairbanks, Alaska. The plan focused on developing a model for integrated services and reducing the number of pull-out programs by having special services staff work directly with classroom teachers. Information sources included interviews with 62 staff…

Position papers of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities during 1981-1994 and information about this committee's history, mission, and operational procedures are presented. The position papers and statements are as follows: "Learning Disabilities: Issues on Definition" (1981); "In-service Programs in Learning…

This collection of 13 essays focuses on the many challenges that adults with learning disabilities face in educational, work, and social settings. The essays are: (1) "Adults with Learning Disabilities: An Emerging Area of Professional Interest and Public Attention" (James R. Patton and Edward A. Polloway); (2) "Adult Development Theories: An…

This final report summarizes findings of the First Decade Project, which examined factors related to the successful transition from school to adult life for youth with disabilities. Subjects were two cohorts of graduates from 1985 and 1990, including all special education graduates (N=488) and randomly selected nondisabled graduates (N=610) from…

This annual report on minority, female, and disabled groups in Illinois higher education details efforts to improve student and staff representation, and surveys trends in enrollment, degree completion, and staff employment. The report shows increases in black and Hispanic graduate/professional enrollment, transfers from community colleges to…

This book presents discussions of the practical implementation of inclusion principles with students having learning and/or behavioral problems and disorders. The chapters, arranged under two topical units, "Perspectives and Experiences" and "Best Practices" are: (1) "Inclusion: Chasing the Impossible Dream? Maybe"…

In 1989, Valmont Industries, a global manufacturer of steel lighting poles, center pivot irrigation systems, and other technologies and Metropolitan Community College began to work closely to address the basic skills training needs of Valmont workers. This partnership provided a unique educational opportunity for both Valmont employees and the…