This paper describes the development of Turkish Children and Mothers, a project designed to help 5-year-old preschoolers in the Ruhr Valley of Germany develop linguistic, motor, cognitive, and social abilities. The paper also describes various aspects of the project, including those that relate to maternal involvement, educational facilities, the…

Ultimately, Hispanic Americans will choose whether they wish to become part of the larger American society, or remain separate from it, but public policy can and does influence that choice. Chapters 1 and 2 show how public policy in the form of two federal laws, the Bilingual Education Act and the Voting Rights Act, encouraged Hispanics to reject…

This final report describes the PEERS (Providing Education for Everyone in Regular Schools) Project, a 5-year collaborative systems change project in California to facilitate the integration of students with severe disabilities who were previously served at special centers into services at regular schools and the integration of students in special…

The goal of this curriculum is to assist educators to develop a classroom community in which all children, including those with significant disabilities, feel good about themselves and work together to support the active learning and valued membership of all class members. The specific goal of the lessons is to promote positive self-concept and…

This monograph presents a collection of experiences and insights about building inclusive school communities in which all members, adults and children, learn and grow together. The monograph addresses the challenging and hopeful venture of welcoming all children into their neighborhood schools, regardless of their abilities and interests. The more…

This study examines the relationship between class heterogeneity and scholastic performance in Israel's primary schools. The effect of school integration on academic achievement is explained via two main effects: (1) the "peer" effect, namely externalities that are induced by the composition of the teaching and learning environments; and…

This study examined the impacts of student gender, academic achievement (cumulative grade point average), familial influence, and academic aptitude/characteristics on intentional persistence at Grambling State University (Louisiana). The sample consisted of 219 students (188 developmental and 31 nondevelopmental) who had persisted beyond the…

This paper is based on a year-long ethnographic study of successful Hispanic high school students. Twenty Hispanic high school seniors, 10 male and 10 female, were repeatedly observed and interviewed in school, home, and other settings. In this article the ways in which these students constructed their social identities is carefully examined.…

This paper presents an example of "optimistic research," a qualitative approach which focuses on positive interventions helpful to practitioners, in this case an examination of programs successfully integrating people with severe disabilities. The study evaluated 40 programs through site visits which focus on observation, interviews, and…

This information package compiles several resources for supporting children and teens with severe disabilities in integrated recreation/leisure activities. The package contains: (1) an overview article by Pam Walker titled "Supports for Children and Teens with Developmental Disabilities in Integrated Recreation/Leisure Activities," with…

This practicum aimed to decrease the social isolation of preschool children with special needs in a mainstreamed day care setting by: (1) increasing initiatives by typical children towards four special needs children; (2) increasing social bids or responses by special needs children toward typical children; and (3) increasing positive…

Each issue of "PRISE Reporter" focuses on some aspect of educating handicapped students and offers a feature article, other sources of information, and descriptions of research projects. The December 1988 issue contains an article titled "Now That the Door Is Open: Social Skills Instruction in the Classroom" (Sue Vernon et al.) which targets…

The purpose of this forum was to examine critical issues in the implementation of supported employment from a variety of perspectives and to provide recommendations for future improvement. Eight invited papers and discussions were organized into four topics: issues related to time-limited funding; disabilities other than mental retardation;…

The post-school status of 87 individuals with moderate to severe mental retardation was assessed in terms of employment, education, living arrangements, day program participation, community involvement, and friendships. Interviews were conducted with informed respondents (usually parents or group home staff) for 27 individuals who had been out of…

The Secondary Transition Intervention Effectiveness Institute conducts applied research, program evaluations, and evaluation technical assistance in the areas of secondary special education and transitional services for individuals with disabilities. This annual report describes activities carried out during the fourth year of the Institute's…