Describes the development of educational programs for children with special needs in Jordan. An overview of historical highlights and main problems and needs is presented. Information is provided on trends related to development of special education, special education teachers, family problems, early intervention, and attitudes toward…

This historical view of special education reform touches on civil rights of individuals with disabilities, highlighting the historical roots of arguments on the primacy of place (location) in discussion of special education policy. The paper examines the history of specialized social institutions and the emphasis on place in today's debates. (SM)

Measures of perceived competence and perceived achievement were administered to 222 Israeli students with either learning disabilities or low achievement in grades 3, 5, and 7. Subjects were either in special schools, in special classes in regular schools, or in regular classes. Perceived competence was highest among younger children and the…

A study of 51,624 Michigan students declassified from special education indicated that the students were academically, socially, and behaviorally well adjusted in general education programs. Teachers and counselors felt that 11% continued to need special education. Four percent of declassified students returned to special education within three…

Examines black student's experiences in initial teacher education, and reveals what still needs to be done before these students can receive the same positive treatment as their white colleagues. The author presents research revealing the various forms of racism, discrimination, and stereotyping that create these negative educational experiences…

This article explores issues surrounding the integration of students with disabilities into general education classrooms. The movement from mainstreaming and the least restrictive environment to the call for a more integrated system is discussed, along with perceptions and attitudes about inclusion. The dissonance between rhetoric and reality is…

Examines fundamental differences between inclusionists and full inclusionists with regard to the primary objective of schooling, student placement, and expectations regarding accommodating to diverse needs. Presents weaknesses in the full inclusionists' and inclusionists' arguments. Argues for identifying appropriately ambitious goals for…

This article focuses on how the policy and continuum of services in New South Wales, Australia, for serving students who are deaf or hard of hearing have developed and the attitudes of stakeholders toward both policy and practice. It concludes by attempting to assess the potential effects on students. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

A commentary precedes this previously published article that presents different perspectives on the inclusion of gifted students in the heterogeneously grouped classroom. A professor advocates homogeneous ability grouping, a teacher explains how inclusion can be impractical, and a parent describes the benefits of appropriate placement. (Contains 3…

This reprint of an article on the experiences of two mathematically precocious youths is preceded by a commentary that stresses the increased zest for learning experienced by the accelerants, the benefits of better educational preparation, and the importance of parental support for acceleration. (Contains 9 references.) (CR)

Examined whether a mathematics placement system accurately predicted success in university mathematics classes for both genders. The placement system used four variables to predict grades a student would receive if placed in various freshman mathematics classes. Found that the multiple predictors added to the gender bias of the Scholastic…

This article describes special education in Canada including procedures for identifying children with disabilities, student evaluation, programming for students with exceptionalities, and student placement. It also explores current issues of concern: a shrinking teacher population, fiscal restraints, and access to special education services in…

Analyzes British Labour Party policy on educational selection in secondary schools, drawing on Mills's sociological imagination. Education selection figures prominently in distributional processes that (re)produce social relations within society. Achieving egalitarian ends is difficult while retaining consumerist spheres of influence stratified by…

This study examined the extent to which the academic achievement of adolescents receiving both foster care and special education services differs from the performance of youths involved in only foster care, special education, or general education. Extant school data were collected on 327 students, ages 13 through 21, who attended school in a large…

The article draws on the findings of a longitudinal study of an opportunistic sample of full-time further education trainee teachers attending an English new university. The study commenced in 2002 seeking to examine the processes through which trainee teachers entered the profession. Initially the research explored the routes followed and…