This handbook provides guidelines for the operation of local special education programs for Alaskan children with disabilities. It addresses: (1) the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments of 1997 and basic concepts of special education; (2) identification of students with disabilities, referral, screening programs, and…

American public schools enroll some 9.5 million students at the middle-school level and approximately 6 million students with disabilities at the K-12 levels. This research digest briefly presents highlights from two reports of studies that examined what is known about principals who lead middle-school and disabled student populations and what…

This collection of papers examines a 10-year process of teacher education reform at Ohio State University, describing 13 Professional Development Schools (PDSs). After "Introduction: Context, Challenges, and Consequences: PDSs in the Making" (Marilyn Johnston), there are 16 papers in four parts. Part 1, "Contextualizing PDS Work and…

Work requirements in welfare reform proposed by the George W. Bush administration would impose much tougher work requirements on welfare recipients. Seventy percent of all adults would be required to work 40 hours per week, versus the 50 percent who are required to work 30 hours per week currently. In addition, states would be given little leeway…

This booklet, in Spanish- and Japanese-language versions, offers parents guidance on how to partner with teachers to help their children acquire the skills, attitudes, and habits to do well in school and throughout life. The booklet begins with a description of how preschool children learn, and continues with a discussion of the goals of the…

This book is designed to help speech-language pathologists develop vocabulary and phonological awareness skills in bilingual students with language-learning disabilities (LLD). The book targets beginning through intermediate bilingual students in grades K-8. Part 1 of the book begins with teaching style strategies for teaching bilingual students…

A National Strategy for Adult Basic Skills has been proposed to deal with the English situation in which about one adult in five is not functionally literate and far more people have problems with numeracy. The National Strategy has these 10 main elements: national targets; an entitlement to learn; guidance, assessment, and publicity; better…

This paper discusses a study that investigated whether competencies identified by the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) could be used to document job skills of students with mild disabilities. Participants in the study were 17 teachers, job coaches, and parents associated with a high school special education department…

This case study explores the student teaching experience of a Spanish language teacher candidate through her own eyes. It sheds light on how the participants' prior learning experience and beliefs inform her initial practice, how she develops her teaching skills, what contextual factors affect her learning-to-teach process, and the sources from…

This publication presents the text from the Productivity Conference that focused on productivity growth--its driving forces, impact, and future. "Introduction" (Elaine L. Chao) covers topics of the three panels. Panel 1, "Is There a Productivity Miracle?" (Kevin Hassett, moderator) examines whether recent productivity gains can…

By providing illustrative examples from real classrooms and feedback from teachers, this teacher handbook brings to life ways teachers have modified their adult literacy classroom practice to be more learner contextualized. It provides guidance in moving toward contextualized literacy instruction; teachers must adapt suggestions to most suitably…

This document presents case studies of 10 cooperative research centers (CRCs) across Australia and their relationships with the vocational education and training (VET) sector. The CRCs profiled in the case studies are as follows: Co-operative Research Centre for Sustainable Rice Production; Cast Alloy and Solidification Technology Co-operative…

This manual is designed for beginning postsecondary instructors with no previous teacher training. It presents the essentials of the instructional planning and implementation process and explains key principles and practices that have been shown to enhance students' motivation to learn. An introduction describes the purpose, rationale, readers,…

This book aims to provide practical, research-informed answers to the questions most frequently asked by teachers of second language learners. Every question targets one of the key instructional issues teachers must address to ensure success for their second language students. Included among the questions are: How do I assess a student's English?…

This book analyzes the financing of U.S. higher education. Chapter 1, "Introduction," discusses education's response to the labor market, causes of the financing crisis and constraints, and justifying change. Chapter 2, "How We Pay for College," examines components of the financing system; determining expected family…