Longitudinal data on over 2,000 students, beginning in seventh grade, were used to examine mobility patterns among instructional tracks over students' high school careers. Results indicate considerably more track mobility than is typically assumed. Most track changes occurred in the later grades and were related to gender, race, and family income.…

A survey of 96 graduate and undergraduate students in special education and general education courses found relatively consistent agreement or disagreement among the four groups concerning philosophical assumptions of the Regular Education Initiative but differences on the actual placement of students with disabilities in the general education…

A study analyzed 2,378 empirical articles on ethnic minority students published in two learning disability and two special education journals over a 22-year period (1972-94). Studies focused on assessment and testing, sensory-perceptual processing, and placement issues. The majority also compared ethnic groups, used quantitative approaches, and…

Presents a checklist for evaluating program modifications for students with hearing impairments in general education settings. The checklist evaluates mode/flow of communication (including provision of appropriate interpreting services), school environment, support structure, instructional formats, mediated/scaffolded instruction, lesson planning,…

Presents criteria that should be considered in the educational placement of a child with hearing impairments and in the development of the child's individualized education program (IEP), including consideration of communication and socio-emotional needs. A list of tests normed on students with deafness is included. (CR)

Describes findings from several Florida research initiatives on diversity and school restructuring: (1) special education placement rates, suspensions/expulsions, dropouts, and academic achievement by ethnic group; (2) African American male students' concerns; (3) outcomes of children with disabilities when schools engage in school reform; and (4)…

Analyzes the history, values, and legal issues involved in the inclusion controversy. Opponents of full inclusion of all students with disabilities in the classroom contend that it is a simplistic answer to complex problems. The Community Engagement Dialogic Model is an approach for dealing with judicial intervention in many special-education…

Describes a reliability and validity study of the placement test used at the University of Surrey, England, to identify students requiring English language support while studying at the university level. The study examines administrative and logistic constraints and assesses the test's usefulness within this context. (21 references) (Author/CK)

This 2-year qualitative research study examined the decisions teachers (n=32) made about their teaching practices in an inclusive elementary school. Findings indicate the individual school community mutually negotiated a common definition of inclusion that was fundamentally grounded in students' active participation in classroom settings.…

This article examines the legal basis for providing psychotherapy services to students with emotional or behavioral disorders and presents an analysis of the litigation concerning psychotherapy. It discusses psychotherapy as a related service, who can provide psychotherapy, how a child's need for psychotherapy is established, and placement for…

This article reviews findings from research and practice in school reform, with a special focus on literacy outcomes in schools with students at risk. It describes videotape excerpts that illustrate the "Getting Results Model." This model involves four key change factors: goals, indicators, assistance from others, and leadership. (Contains…

This article reviews provisions of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act as they apply to students with autism. It also discusses anti-discrimination provisions in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and their relevance to students with autism. Eligibility for special education services, discipline, evaluation, student placement, and…

Discusses problems with student tracking. Although supporters consider tracking the best way for teachers to handle classroom diversity, many minorities say that it condemns their children to an inferior education. Studies show that heterogeneous classes benefit all students if the teachers adopt flexible instructional methods to handle the…

The use of readiness assessment rather than chronological age for admission to kindergarten is proposed. The article examines why this approach is needed, how it might be accomplished, and the relative advantages of admitting by readiness assessment compared to chronological age. (JDD)

In response to Byrnes (EC 221 791), the article stresses that the regular education initiative challenges educators to reorient their thinking and to reevaluate their identification, instructional, and placement policies and practices involving all categories of at-risk children and to more actively involve parents in educational choices. (DB)