This study of 142 early interventionists examined self-competence in working with families, value placed on family roles, and concern about family-centered practices, and explored their relationship with experience, discipline, and job category. Nurses and social workers scored higher than educators and other health care professionals in several…

This article discusses the assessment and evaluation of infants and toddlers with disabilities or at risk for developing disabilities, recent contributions to knowledge of assessment of infants and toddlers, current practices, and future trends. The paper cautions against using one test for all purposes or using a test with an insufficient…

This paper cites modest beneficial effects of early intervention for children with developmental disabilities or children at risk, and examines two specific program features, age of start and family involvement. The moderating influence of the level of disability severity is also analyzed, and future directions for improving early intervention…

This article documents decreasing support for education research and introduces this special issue. The difficulties in obtaining research grants, getting schools to cooperate, maintaining treatment integrity, and communicating findings are noted. High-quality school-based research is encouraged. (DB)

The article explores the process of change in special education and reviews major research projects of a five-year (1985-90) federal research program of the Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs. Forty-one projects addressed eight priority areas, including enhancing instructional program options and educating students with…

This study classified the characteristics of 103 at-risk first grade children and their classroom environments over a one- to four-year period. Found that individual seatwork as an instructional arrangement increased the risk of special placement, whereas small group work was associated with nonplacement for children with possible learning…

Comparison of short and long duration consultant-driven prereferral interventions with 60 general elementary educators, 60 pupils with special needs, and 22 consultants found that both variants were equally effective in improving teacher perceptions of their students and in decreasing referrals for testing and possible special education placement.…

The study evaluated 117 beginning elementary and intermediate/secondary general and special educators who were more and less effective in maintaining class participation. The study found that more effective teachers provided effective transitions, made assignments, and approved of students' verbal responses more often than less effective…

The article reports on 2 Minnesota Educational Effectiveness Project studies on the relationship between school effectiveness variables and attitudes/achievement of 2,604 students in general and 758 students with mild disabilities. Results did not support the idea that general efforts at school improvement will lead to improved outcomes for…

The study compared pretest and posttest achievement test data for 67 elementary grade children with learning disabilities in 4 conditions: 1 or 2 daily periods of resource room instruction, or consultative services presented indirectly or with direct in-class instruction. Students receiving a combination of consultation and direct services showed…

This article reports the progress of 13 learning-disabled students after 1 year of planning and 1 year of implementing the "Mainstream Experiences for the Learning Disabled" (MELD) model in an urban elementary school. Students made no significant progress in reading or math and earned lower grades during the implementation year. (DB)

This article summarizes the special issue's reports (EC 232 346-353) on federally sponsored research on special needs students, with emphasis on the relationship of policy to educational change. The summary is organized into the following categories: what has been learned?, what has not been learned?, and what do we need to know?. (DB)

Five assumptions are inferred from the literature concerning the roles and responsibilities of elementary regular classroom teachers in educating low-performing children. These assumptions are used to define the target group of students most aptly served in regular classrooms. Models of partnership between regular education and specialized…

Forty-three general educators were assigned to one of three versions of the Behavioral Consultation model, to assess the model's effects on problem behavior of difficult-to-teach intermediate-grade students. Observations of student behavior indicated that more inclusive Behavioral Consultation versions exerted stronger effects than the least…

A case study is presented of an elementary school preparing to implement a full-time mainstreaming program for students with learning disabilities. Based on observations, interviews, and surveys of students, parents, and teachers, it is concluded that fundamental changes in instruction are necessary for the regular education initiative to work.…