The Japanese educational reform movement is concentrating on increased individuality, lifelong learning, and the need to cope with societal changes, notably internationalization and the spread of information media. The American education system is admirable for experimenting with dropout programs, awards for improved student performance, magnet…

Offers a list of effective practice techniques for string teachers who want either to renew their own teaching techniques or refresh the techniques they have been implementing with new ideas. Believes teachers should remember that practice is unique for each student and should cater their techniques to this notion. (CMK)

Asserts that as the number of young children using assistive technology increases, four areas emerge as particularly important: (1) accessing assistive technology; (2) matching needs of children to technology; (3) funding assistive devices and services; and (4) training early childhood education professionals and family members. Addresses…

Comments on an article by Dunst and Bruder. Service coordination was supposed to be one of the major jewels in the legislative crown for young children with disabilities and their families. The authors have cast their experienced eyes on the heart of the matter, which is the models of service coordination that sprang to life almost immediately…

This paper is based on a research project that explored a UK Government initiative to improve the quality of teaching adults, numeracy, literacy and English as a second other language. The findings will be of interest to teacher educators generally and also to those involved in teaching adults, language, literacy and numeracy. The paper reports on…

This paper critically examines the array of policy approaches that have been adopted in the field of special needs education in Scotland over recent years. These are characterized in the following ways: (1) supporting or changing the child--an individualized approach; (2) making schools inclusive for all--a systems approach; (3) challenging the…

The purpose of this article is to present the perceptions of disaffiliated white middle school boys in a rural setting. In this article, the authors discuss the results and implications of a qualitative research study, examining how these boys perceive school as responding, or not responding, to their needs. Five critical needs of students are…

Various traditions within developmental science and psychology have concentrated on either personal or collective correlates as manifestations of well-being. The authors' claim is that the well-being of any one person is highly dependent on the well-being of her relationships and on the community in which she resides. Well-being may be defined as…

This report, the 15th in a series, contains papers by 10 outstanding scholars concerning the state of black America in 1990; it concludes that while many African Americans have made significant economic and political gains, half of the black population is still mired in poverty, joblessness, and hardship caused by racial discrimination. The…

A 3-year research project, employing qualitative inquiry in a pair of preschool and primary grade classrooms (one self-contained and one integrated at each level), was undertaken to examine the literacy learning difficulties of school-aged children with developmental disabilities. The multi-site case studies of the first phase of the project used…

This practicum focused on the problem of inservice training failing to meet the individual professional needs of a diverse summer staff in an early childhood center. The solution strategy utilized a needs assessment survey and consultations with staff members to determine areas of need and interest, the results of which were used to devise a…

The manual is designed to provide educators, parents, and severely handicapped students in Santa Clara County (California) with a guide to a 4-year transition process. The process has four components: transition foundation (basic skill development from birth to age 21), transition process (planning and implementation of training and other services…

This guide was written for displaced homemakers and other women in transition who are concerned about finding employment or additional education, or who need help with child care, legal matters, financial planning, personal counseling, or other special issues. It provides an outline of some of the resources available in Connecticut to help these…

Superhero play among preschool children appears to be quite different from socio-dramatic play. While exhibiting characteristics of socio-dramatic play, superhero play does not facilitate the development of social or verbal skills. Observations of television programs indicated that superhero play provides little opportunity for verbal reasoning,…

When used diagnostically at the readiness level, language-experience becomes an effective way to meet individual differences and to differentiate instruction in a group setting. For a 5- or 6-year old, school should be an exciting, happy, purposeful place, and language-experience lends itself well to such a setting. The first steps are to…