Survey results from cohorts of 511 and 222 gifted and accelerated students surveyed at ages 13, 18, and 23 years and a subset of 73 students indicate that students generally express positive feelings about acceleration. Nonintellectual personal attributes commonly used to select students for acceleration may be inappropriately used. (SLD)

A survey of 121 undergraduate and graduate social work students and 96 field instructors found that many students had experienced verbal and physical abuse and that most instructors had experienced verbal abuse and physical violence. Although students received some instruction on safety, practicum agencies often had no safety policies. Curriculum…

A study in Victoria (Australia) investigated integration of students with severe intellectual disabilities into three educational settings. It was found that, although these students are better integrated in Victoria than in the United Kingdom or United States, integration has proceeded with inadequate support services, particularly professional…

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 1997 amendments that are important to rural schools are funding compliance requirements, changes in identification and evaluation of students with disabilities, and qualitative standards for providing special education and related services. Guidelines resulting from court decisions are presented…

The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services has issued policy guidance on educating students with visual impairments. The application of the free appropriate public education requirements, least restrictive environment and placement requirements, and procedural safeguards in federal statutes are discussed. (CR)

Discusses issues influencing the placement of young children with disabilities, including individual educational plans, labeling, philosophy-based decisions, the Regular Education Initiative, and full inclusion. Maintains that decisions regarding educational programs with disabilities must be based on individual educational needs, and notes that…

A case study is presented of the language and literacy development of a girl with deafness from preschool through sixth grade. Annual evaluation of language and literacy skills was used to select educational placements, instructional methods, strategies, and materials. Grade level progress and instruction is presented and discussed. (Contains…

This article explores how to identify students with traumatic brain injury (TBI), difficulties students with TBI may face in the classroom, where the best placements might be, and what teaching strategies are effective. A classroom observation checklist for students with TBI is provided, along with advice on developing instructional plans.…

This article discusses the impact of legislative and special education policy on the educational enrollment of students with a disability across Australia. Enrollment trends in New South Wales and Victoria are examined and discussed within the context of their respective special education policies, disability discrimination legislation, and…

How does a country undergo the extremely rapid change necessary to go from an emerging country to a major world power in a few short years? The answer is through education. While the world reads about the many economic changes taking place in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), an equally fundamental change is occurring in its educational…

With diminishing returns to the peer group, it is optimal social policy to mix children in schools. We consider what happens when, contrary to the outcome being determined by a social planner, schools and children are free to seek each other out: with some caveats, this leads to perfect segregation by child quality. It is shown that this is the…

Increased demands for colleges and universities to engage in outcomes assessment for accountability purposes have accelerated the need to bridge the gap between higher education practice and the fields of measurement, assessment, and evaluation. The "Handbook on Measurement, Assessment, and Evaluation in Higher Education" provides higher…

This book provides practical strategies and tools for assessing and teaching even the most hard to reach English language learners across the content areas. Syrja offers educators the latest information on working with ELLs (including using formative assessments) and provides a wealth of classroom-tested models and measures. These tools have…

Adult secondary education learners approach the goal of college-level postsecondary education through three assessment gateways: (a) measures of adult education program learning gains, (b) a high-school equivalency exam, and (c) college placement tests. On the surface, the assessments in this sequence might appear to work in concert and point…

The education of students is fundamental to shaping a preferred provincial, national and global future. It is also essential in maintaining Alberta's standard of living and ensuring its global competitiveness. The education system must simultaneously prepare the citizens of tomorrow while equipping the students with the knowledge and skills they…