Whereas mentoring programs are well received as support services, very little empirical research has been conducted to assess the effectiveness of these programs to meet the diverse needs of different special populations of youth. Potentially useful theoretical orientations (attachment, parental acceptance-rejection, social support, adult…

The recent reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA; 2004) is first discussed in its historical context. Then, a programmatic line of research (funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development since 1989) is described that is relevant to a proposed model for universal…

English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities are an emerging population in the U.S. and therefore command special attention in assessment systems. Research has demonstrated that "universal design of assessment" approaches are effective in helping to make assessments more accessible for ELLs with disabilities. Special education…

Some in the field of special education hold that students with significant disabilities should pursue the same learner outcomes as students without disabilities. However, educational teams often lack the knowledge and skills necessary to support a student's membership and participation in general education classrooms and learning of the general…

This report investigates the lack of services provided to gifted students with attention and/or behavior problems. Issues addressed include: characterizations of gifted children and the resulting prejudice against gifted children who do not meet a certain profile; the similarities among characteristics of high ability/creative children and…

This literature review examines and integrates research addressing visual handicap and giftedness and provides suggestions for the identification and education of gifted students with visual handicaps. The review addresses definitions of visual handicap and giftedness, characteristics of the gifted visually handicapped child, the problem of…

This document presents a literature review on effective educational programs for students with severe behavior disorders. The literature review's scope includes definitions of relevant terminology, statistics on prevalence, descriptions of several conceptual models and how they affect perceptions of the etiology of behavior disorders and thus the…

Case studies are presented of three gifted students, indicating the social and academic problems which are standing in the way of their potential development. The students include a Vietnamese-American ninth-grade girl who has difficulty with English and does not feel accepted by other students, an underachieving seventh grade boy who speaks out…

The University of Houston's Center for Gifted and Talented Education (Texas) conducts summer workshops for teachers and gifted/talented children in a program called HELP (Helping Exceptional Learners Progress). The children learn more about their abilities, interact with other gifted children, and solve some of the problems they face because of…

This report describes federal, California state, and private student financial aid programs; ways to improve chances of receiving aid; and programs for special populations. Information is provided on the following sources of aid: (1) federal (Pell Grants, National Direct Student Loans (NDSL), Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG),…

Factors affecting the state role in financing educational programs for special student populations are examined along with potential state policy considerations related to the provision of special services. An outline of the major problems facing state policy makers, such as federal budget cuts, teacher shortages, and the needs of gifted and…

The problems of accurately identifying and serving giftedness are vastly compounded with children of new immigrant families. Linguistic and cultural complications, economic and attitudinal factors, sociocultural peer-group expectations, cross-cultural stress, intergenerational conflict, and school system conflict frequently deflect efforts to…

This issue of "Forum," a journal designed to provide a marketplace of ideas for California community college faculty, contains six articles on current educational concerns. First, "Seeking a Working Vision: Community Colleges and the Mission Statement," by Richard A. Garcia, argues that community colleges must put joint…

Gifted rural middle school students in Douglas County, Nevada, participated in a leadership program which complemented an existing critical and creative thinking skill-based program. Assessment, teacher-directed lessons, student-directed activities, integration of leadership techniques into creative and critical thinking strategies, and on-going…

A program at the Model Preschool Center for Handicapped Children at the University of Washington's College of Education enrolled 11 children with Down syndrome, 18-36 months of age. The program sought to accelerate and maintain the motor and cognitive skills of the children; to encourage parent involvement; to provide training to students,…