Improving the services for children with emotional or behavioral problems has been one of the priorities of the Department of Education for the last four decades. Since its implementation, the Office of Special Education Programs has been dedicated to funding and supporting research in the area of emotional disorders. Despite increased attention…

Adolescents with disabilities are at increased risk for school failure, and those in special education as the result of emotional disturbances consistently have the highest dropout rate of any disability. This paper discusses the importance of feelings of security in relationships for these adolescents and the results of a study designed to…

This article describes a replication of the "First Step to Success" program (Walker, Stiller, Severson, & Golly, 1998) with at-risk students in the first and second grade to determine program effectiveness in decreasing inappropriate behaviors and increasing academic engagement time. This expands the "First Step to…

Special education is now an established part of public education in the United States--by law and by custom. However, it is still widely misunderstood and continues to be dogged by controversies related to such things as categorization, grouping, assessment, placement, funding, instruction, and a variety of legal issues. The purpose of this…

This report describes a pilot project of the West Hartford (Connecticut) Public Schools to help high school graduates who are seriously emotionally disturbed (SED) to successfully transition to community living and to employment. Program services include assessment and planning before graduation as well as support services after beginning college…

A 5-year plan to improve the delivery of services to special needs students was evaluated in Fairbanks, Alaska. The plan focused on developing a model for integrated services and reducing the number of pull-out programs by having special services staff work directly with classroom teachers. Information sources included interviews with 62 staff…

This report presents the Council for Exceptional Children's (CEC) analysis of the status of federal support for education of children with disabilities and/or giftedness, focusing on fiscal year (FY) 1996 appropriations and FY 1997 budget processes. Preliminary information includes a budget overview; a chart comparing appropriations,…

This research report includes articles on students, leadership, and technology related to the Georgia Psychoeducational Network (GPN), which serves students with severe emotional disturbances or behavior disorders. "The Relationship of Locus of Control of Reinforcement to Indicators of Student Growth in Academic, Behavioral, and Social…

This report summarizes activities and findings of a federally funded center at the Arkansas Children's Hospital which reviewed and disseminated literature on the identification and assessment of children with attention deficit disorders (ADD). Meetings throughout Arkansas led to the identification of interest areas, and findings are summarized for…

This book is designed to reaffirm the value of special instruction and to provide information on current research and practice which shows productive and successful outcomes. It addresses the definition of disabilities, the assessment of disabilities, instruction, special populations, special education legislation and policy, and integration.…

This report uses text, graphs, and tables to present findings of a 1996 survey of 575 adolescents voluntarily participating in residential behavioral treatment facilities in Minnesota. Compared with public school students, these adolescents were: 62 percent male, more likely to be of color, especially American Indian, and twice as likely as other…

The Transition Services program of the Onondaga-Dortland-Madison Board of Cooperative Educational Services (New York) has been identified as an exemplary school-to-work program that includes students with disabilities. The program serves students aged 13-21, most with disabilities; the majority have mental retardation, serious emotional…

The Student Training at Retail Stores (STARS) project was evaluated during the 1989-90 school year. With the collaboration of business a 3-semester program of intense occupational, vocational, and career education was developed to enhance job skills and secure retail sales jobs for high school juniors with moderate learning, speech, emotional, and…

This collection of 13 author-contributed papers addresses various aspects of programming for students with behavioral disorders. Papers have the following titles and authors: (1) "System Support and Transition to Adulthood for Adolescents with Seriously Disordered Behaviors: Orchestrating Successful Transitions" (Eugene Edgar); (2) "Targets for…

This manual describes a regional linkage model developed to bridge the mildly handicapped student's school and post-school job training by using a consortium of local professional personnel (vocational and special educators), representatives of business and industry, and representatives of public and private agencies concerned with work placement…