This article describes the development and implementation of two interdisciplinary preservice programs (at Appalachian State University, North Carolina, and Western Kentucky University) that have combined standards from early childhood and early childhood special education. Both programs cover infants and children (birth to five). Benefits to such…

Discusses shifts in education and employment training policies and their implications for transition services for special needs populations. Looks at major laws supporting transition from school to work, postsecondary education, and independent adult life, and explores the implications of these reforms for the future of transition programs for…

Looks at federal legislation and other initiatives that have affected the evolution of transition services to individuals with disabilities moving from school to postschool activities. Discusses areas in which reforms are needed: promoting self-determination, reducing competition between increased graduation requirements and functional education,…

A study of transition coordinators (n=39) to determine how state departments of education were addressing policy issues related to the transition mandate in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act revealed that coordinators are facing three major challenges: (1) productive interagency collaboration; (2) assisting local agencies in…

The demand for improved postschool outcomes has shifted school reform strategy from incremental efforts to fundamental change. Collaboration is consistently identified as an effective approach for fostering communications and creating new systems. Social and vocational educators must become skilled collaborators to influence the course of change.…

Student involvement criteria in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) should be interpreted within the movement toward self-determination for students with disabilities. The IDEA student involvement requirements have implications for the educational programs of youth with disabilities. (Author/JOW)

Discusses the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and its implementation at the local level. Identifies barriers to implementation and outlines suggestions for transition educators who are instrumental in fulfilling the promise of ADA. (Author/JOW)

Summarizes the role of education-and-business linkages in implementing school-to-work policies at state and local levels and emphasizes the importance of educator and employer partnerships in systemic reform. Identifies barriers to implementation and suggests strategies to overcome them. (JOW)

Provides a comprehensive view of California's school-to-work transition programs as they have evolved and grown. Discusses next steps including interagency collaboration, joint planning, and professional training. (JOW)

Discusses community-based assessment and how it was linked with the job-matching process to assist students with severe disabilities in the job development and placement process. (JOW)

Offers a model for raising the level of technology expertise of K-8 classroom teachers based on a project at the University of Denver (Colorado) that sought to integrate computers with classroom curriculum, develop new inservice models for computer competency, and increase teachers' computer use. (Author/LRW)

Describes how general systems theory was used to develop a system for infusing computer technology into teacher education at the University of Houston-Clear Lake (TX). Topics include strategic alignment; curriculum development; distance learning programs using the Internet; assessment of preservice and inservice teacher performance; and an…

Describes a study that examined the accuracy and type of preservice teacher feedback to computer-simulated pupils. Accurate and inaccurate feedback when focusing on the accomplishments and deficiencies of the simulated pupils is examined, and patterns linking teachers' assessment of pupil performance with feedback during lesson interactions are…

Describes a study that compared the effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) and lecture approaches in teaching vocal anatomy and function to 60 undergraduate music students with different learning styles. Highlights include background on learning styles, implications for the use of CAI with various learning styles, and recommendations…

This study compared levels of computer use by 170 practicing elementary school teachers with 167 preservice teachers' expected levels of use. Results of questionnaires assessed levels of computer use, self-competence in the use of computers, perceived relevance of computers to teaching, teacher locus of control, and teacher innovativeness.…