This paper examines statistics that appear to show a 20 percent decline in the number of students identified as mildly mentally retarded. Evidence is provided which suggests that the primary reason for these declining figures is that these children are being classified as learning disabled. Relatively loose criteria for the learning disabilities…

This briefing paper is intended to provide basic information about the diagnosis, educational programming, and special needs of children and youth with Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD), a group of neurological disorders usually evident by age 3 and characterized by impairments in social interaction, imaginative activity, and verbal and…

This report, the third in a series, contains the results of an evaluation of the definitions and internal consistency of the finance variables used in the Federal State Cooperative System Public Library Statistics (FSCS/PLS) program, and a comparison of the statistics collected for these variables to selected statistics from independent sources.…

This technical report presents issues related to defining and applying accountability systems for young children, including those with disabilities. It notes that reaching shared perspectives on definitions of accountability systems and their constituents remains complicated by the number of levels to which such systems can apply (e.g., child-,…

This symposium on knowledge management and human capital consists of three presentations. "Analyzing and Solving Difficulties Experienced in Knowledge Management: The Case of a Knowledge Intensive Organization" (Simone J. van Zolingen, Jan N. Streumer, Maaike Stooker) distinguishes five phases of the knowledge management process and…

This monograph deals specifically with the challenge of recognizing or assessing creativity. Following an introductory chapter, chapter 2 focuses on definitions and characteristics of creativity to help clarify the nature and meaning of creativity and creative thinking, and to consider the implications of those definitions for assessment. The…

This paper discusses the results of a survey on the professional knowledge of and feelings about inclusion of 180 Florida general educators, special educators, administrators, and support personnel. These four groups were asked to respond to the following questions: (1) What is inclusion? (2) How do you feel about inclusion? and (3) how do you…

This manual, the 10th edition of a regularly published definition and classification work on mental retardation, presents five key assumptions upon which the definition of mental retardation is based and a theoretical model of five essential dimensions that explain mental retardation and how to use the companion system. These dimensions include…

As Boston and other cities across the nation enter a second decade of education reform, the attention of school and community leaders, as well as of parents, is turning to the learning potential provided by after-school hours. This paper explores the potential role of project-based and experiential learning in transforming the learning…

This paper describes and analyzes definitions of democracy and civic education of teachers and students in each of three types of secondary schools in an emerging democracy: the Czech Republic. The paper's theoretical framework is rooted in anthropological and sociological notions of the social context of culture that attend to the fact that all…

This fact sheet presents basic information on mental retardation for Spanish-speaking educators and others. First, definitions from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR) are presented. The fact sheet then analyzes how the new AAMR definitions differ from earlier ones,…

This guide is intended to help schools and classroom teachers in Alberta provide successful school experiences for gifted and talented students. Section 1 focuses on program administration, including Alberta legislation, policy, and regulations; district administration of programs; and school administration of programs. Section 2 identifies an…

This issue of the NCEDL Spotlight Series newsletter presents findings of a nationwide survey of state policies and definitions related to school readiness. Findings indicated that efforts to minimize the misuse of readiness assessment tools may have had some impact at the state level, with respondents showing an increased awareness of recommended…

This document presents minimum standards for approval of gifted and talented programs that meet the requirements of the Standards of Accreditation adopted by the Arkansas State Board of Education February 22, 1984, which have been effective since June 1, 1987. Included are guidelines enabling school districts to: (1) establish equitable criteria…

This paper represents the second of two papers written as part of the National Standards and Accreditation of Career Practitioners project. The first, a scoping paper titled Shaping a career development culture: Quality standards, quality practice, quality outcomes (McMahon, 2004), provided information for and guided discussion at the National…