This study investigated the perceptions of 58 federal, state, and local administrators related to increasing regulatory flexibility in Title I of the Improving America's Schools Act, bilingual education, and special education. Interviewees perceived a number of benefits in consolidation, including more efficient use of resources, enhanced…

Summarizes and analyzes major court decisions concerned with the provision of special education and related services to parochial school students. Implications are discussed for providing on-site special education services at parochial schools. The level of services required and concerns with providing on-site services are discussed. (Author/CR)

An investigation that used a curriculum-based measure to examine the effects of an inclusive school program found 71 elementary students with learning disabilities (LD) in the program made significantly more progress in reading and comparable progress in math when compared to 73 students who were provided services in resource classes. (Author/CR)

A study examined the rate of participation of Hawaiian students with disabilities in state-wide assessments in grades three, six, eight, and ten. Results found that roughly 64% of all students with disabilities were assessed in 1995. Most students who were excluded from testing were those with severe disabilities. (Author/CR)

Seventy-eight special-education students (ages 8-13) and 403 typical students took a large-scale statewide test using standard test administration procedures and two major accommodations addressing response conditions and test administration. No differences were found in the response conditions; however, students with disabilities who were read a…

The cognitive play of 13 preschool children with visual impairments was observed while the children played alone in their homes. Findings revealed that over half of the play behaviors were in the category of exploration and sensorimotor play, and symbolic play accounted for less than 4% of play. (Author/CR)

Two studies examined how adolescents and young adults (ages 15-21) with visual impairments spent their time engaged in academic, social, daily living, and vocational pursuits in comparison to typical youth. Both studies identified socialization and career development as areas where students with visual impairments may need additional supports.…

A study investigated classroom dynamics and 13 young children at risk for the development of serious emotional disturbances (SED) as compared to 13 typical peers. Students at risk of SED were generally rejected by teachers, spent less time academically engaged, and received more negative or neutral nonacademic teacher feedback. (Author/CR)

A case is made that the term "science" in reference to special education is misused, and that the methods of empiricist science are inappropriately applied to the study of special education. Article concludes that many of the criticisms leveled at special education can be traced back to this misunderstanding of science. (Author/CR)

A study involving six children (ages 5-13) with mental retardation found that overall passive modeling was significantly more effective than hand-over-hand modeling in teaching skills, and that passive modeling was significantly more effective than hand-over-hand modeling with response-contingent verbal prompting. (Author/CR)

A study evaluated 10 textbooks related to working with families of students with disabilities that may be used in special-education teacher-preparation programs. Results indicate variability among the textbooks regarding the representation of culturally diverse populations and fluctuation in cultural-diversity content across textbooks. (Author/CR)

In a survey of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) complaint managers in 35 states, most respondents believed that neither educator nor parental awareness of the state complaint procedure had increased since its reinsertion into the 1992 IDEA regulations. A majority concluded that complaint procedures had reduced due-process…

A study used data from the National Education Longitudinal Study to identify predictors of placement for eighth-grade ethnic-minority students (n=3,439) in learning-disability (LD) programs. Results found that although some factors predicted placement in LD programs for all ethnic groups, placement predictors also varied by student ethnicity.…

Ninety-four 7th- and 8th-grade students with learning and emotional/behavioral disabilities received intervention services that incorporated monitoring and school engagement strategies. Half continued to receive services through grade 9. On two of three measures, students receiving continued intervention services were significantly more likely to…

This article explores some fundamental features that foster the development of collaborative relationships and collaborative communities, which in turn support the success of students with disabilities. Effective mechanisms are presented for accessing and improving collaborative support networks. Start-up problems that may arise in many schools…