This booklet is a facsimile edition of the first book published by the Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation. Written in 1957 by George H. Reavis, who established the foundation in 1966, and with a research-based historical commentary and updating by Carter V. Good, "An Educational Platform for the Public Schools" was published in 1968 and sets…

This report summarizes and discusses some of the major fiscal policy questions surrounding the funding of special education in the current era of school reform. Part 1, "Current Special Education Financing: Issues and Provisions," addresses how special education is currently funded and the different formulas used for special education funding.…

This guide for parents, in Spanish, explains the changes in the federal special education law resulting from the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Changes related to the parent's role in decisions about the child's education and in how schools can discipline special education students are highlighted. A…

Twenty-six papers on the education of students with developmental disabilities are divided into 7 sections on: (1) definition and placement; (2) assessment and curriculum; (3) instructional strategies; (4) individual needs; (5) systematic and data-based instruction and management; (6) family involvement and community attitudes; and (7) appropriate…

Case studies of two students with pervasive developmental delays illustrate the conflict between belief-based versus measurement-based approaches to planning educational services for students with diverse abilities. The doctrinaire view embraces inclusion as an end in itself. Placing students with diverse abilities, even severely handicapping…

The City College of San Francisco (CCSF) conducted a study on the participation in and effect of matriculation services for students in fall 1995. CCSF wanted to determine whether students were participating in these services, whether the services effected greater academic success, and whether students who did not participate in these services did…

This book offers case studies, observations, and practical, culturally responsive solutions to the challenges presented by diversity in the classroom. By telling stories and asking questions, the book explains that progress is slow-moving and that quality, equity, and fair, appropriate treatment are often very hard to find, even in good schools.…

Over 10 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students in public schools and more than 18 percent of AI/AN students in Bureau of Indian Affairs and tribal schools are eligible for or placed in special education programs. This digest addresses four selected issues in the education of AI/AN students with disabilities. First, the 1997…

Noting that Germany ranks lowest among the OECD countries for educational equalities, this paper examines whether it is the tracking of children into different types of school environments at a particularly early stages of their intellectual development (at the transition from primary to secondary school) which contributes to such inequalities.…

The purpose of these guidelines is to assist local boards of education, charter school organizers, and charter school governing boards in identifying legal, procedural, and funding issues related to serving students with disabilities in Colorado charter schools. As a best practice, charters should contain a specific plan for compliance with…

Designed for special and regular education teachers, principals, directors, and others, this text provides information on special education law and children with disabilities who are of public school age. It provides a conceptual foundation for the explosion over the past 25 years of federal laws affecting children with disabilities and is…

This book is designed to further understanding of the procedures of Wisconsin's special education programs. The first section of the book is a large chart that is divided into key topics, including child find, transition, referral evaluation procedures, the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team, eligibility, the IEP, student placement, and…

This report states that since July 1995, the State of Florida has required each public college and university to obtain scores on one of the following test batteries for degree-seeking students prior to registration: Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), American College Testing (ACT), or the Florida College Entry-Level Placement Test (CPT). A…

This study was a follow-up to one that gathered baseline data on aspects of Grade 1 as part of the on-going Statewide Texas Educational Progress Study (STEPS). While the Grade 1 study was limited to teachers' perceptions of student performance, this follow-up focused on factors most related to actual end-of-year student status. The purposes of the…

This report contains the second, third, and fourth year retention, transfer, and graduation patterns at each Maryland public community college for all first-time, full-time students and African-American first-time, full-time students for the entering classes from 1985 to 1994. The following highlights are presented: the four-year success rates of…