Outlines a simple view of reading consisting of decoding and linguistic comprehension. Assesses predictions of the view in a longitudinal sample of English-Spanish bilingual children in first through fourth grade. Finds support for the view. Discusses implications for reading instruction, definition of reading disability, and the notion of…

Attempts to redefine sexuality by new parameters for understanding male and female roles constitute a search for a new American ideology. The core issue is how the American nation will respond to a replay of the class war as a war of the sexes. (SLD)

Introduction of the advanced skills teacher (AST) classification into Australian schools is a poignant example of how discursive practices shape the lives of teachers through patterns of reward, processes, and criteria. In recognizing certain skills as advanced (and devaluing others), the AST process has encouraged, even mandated, their…

Based on the landmark "Gebser" Supreme Court decision, school officials may be held accountable when they are aware of alleged sexual misconduct involving a teacher and a student but fail to initiate corrective measures. Although districts have some latitude, they must follow guidelines and construct clear, enforceable policies. (MLH)

Responds to the initial article in this issue that proposes a set of 22 sequentially structured statements on the nature and origin of human abilities, gifts, and talents. Offers an alternative psychometric, quantitative perspective that sees gifts as broad, general analytic capabilities, and talents as specific, content-bound capabilities. (CR)

Teaching should be honored as teaching and not as scholarship. Instead of redefining scholarship to include teaching, the task force has redefined teaching as scholarship in the generally accepted, "publish-or-perish" sense. (Author/SLD)

This response to Mahoney et al. (EC 623 392) offers a definition of parent education and discusses the importance of identifying intended outcomes and providing effective educational opportunities. Two models of parent education in early intervention are described: Parents Interacting with Infants and the Individualized Support Project. Some…

This study addressed the validity of using a five-state multifaceted approach to defining reading disabilities. Comparison of 204 reading-disabled (selected by criteria such as intraindividual differences and low achievement) and normally achieving junior high students on motivational, cognitive, and metacognitive variables (usually associated…

Two position papers by the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) present (1) the core competencies needed by regular and special education teachers who work with children with learning disabilities, and (2) recommendations for operationalizing the five constructs underlying the NJCLD definition of learning disabilities for…

This article critically analyzes available definitions of learning disability. The general problem of definition is discussed first, followed by a discussion of individual definitions from the earliest to the latest. It is concluded that the definitions fail to provide substantive insight into the nature of the condition. (Contains extensive…

Discusses what is to come in research on literacy in secondary schools. Connects interest in secondary school literacy to the content area reading movement and points to cognitive psychology as the primary conceptual basis for recent work. Explains why it is important to consider an even more shifting definition that locates the social and…

Explains two problems of the postmodern era-fragmentation (disintegration of social, economic, and political institutions) and symbolic consumption. Discusses two postmodernist epistemological challenges to educational marketers-anti-foundationalism and poststructuralism. Transactional views of marketing must yield to relational and interactive…

The point of all the services, accommodations, and modifications required by California and federal law is equity. Every child, regardless of disability, has the right to access the same opportunities as nondisabled kids. Schools' highest priorities should be to ensure a quality curriculum and provide continuous and individual assessment to…

This article discusses the movement toward focusing on the individual rather than the disabling condition when referring to people with disabilities and contrasts acceptable and unacceptable terminology for people with different types of disabilities. The terms "impairment,""disability," and "handicap" are defined. (CR)

This article presents a contextual picture of the learning disabilities (LD) field in Portugal, where the public school failure rate is approximately 37% and 29% in primary and secondary systems, respectively. The need for a clear educational and legislative definition of LD, changes in assessment and treatment models, and improved personnel…