This article aimed to review the literature and examine and compare the effects of choral and individual responding. Six studies met inclusion criteria and were included in this review. Participants in the study comprise students with various disabilities, male and female, and between pre-K and 12th grade. Results indicate a generally positive…

Studies on special education teacher time use (TTU) have indicated that special education teachers spend small percentages of their day teaching. The authors examined goal setting and self-monitoring to change the time use of 4 teachers. In terms of TTU, each teacher articulated goals for increasing some tasks (e.g., instruction) and decreasing…

The author examined whether independent or peer revision produced a greater number of meaningful revisions between drafts. The study was a single-participant, alternating treatment design. The sample comprised 8 students in a predominately low-SES urban school in the United States. Students of mixed gender and background were in a self-contained,…

This article highlights the three sets of policy issues that particularly affect students with emotional and behavioral disorders: issues related to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; continued concerns with school discipline and safety; and the focus on accountability in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. (Contains references.)…

Drawing from a current study, this article identifies critical issues and challenges for alternative educators and administrators. It contains a list of questions that can be used to identify and address key issues in alternative settings in order to promote successful school experiences for students with and without disabilities. (Contains…

An effort to increase the implementation of effective instructional methods of school discipline and the promising results from the first year of implementation of the Safe and Responsive Schools Project are described. Results provide some evidence that school discipline need not be equated with punishment and exclusion. (Contains references.)…

Virginia's statewide plan of educator preparation in functional behavioral assessment, as required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, is described. The step-by-step training process facilitated positive academic and nonacademic outcomes for all students. Preliminary data support the effectiveness of both the content and…

This article examines the undesirable social and vocational ramifications associated with the use of a single high-stakes test to assess the academic proficiencies of students with disabilities and the present discriminatory nature of the required performance on one standardized exam. Alternative assessments are discussed. (Contains references.)…

An overview is provided of the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education's report. Four recommendations are discussed: focus on results not on process; embrace a model of prevention not a model of failure; consider children with disabilities as general education children first; and target funds for direct services. (Contains 5…

This article reports results of a national survey of 349 school principals regarding the frequency and trends of student aggression. It describes reactive and proactive subtypes of youth aggression and identifies trends in reactive and proactive youth aggression. Approaches to student aggression appropriate to either the reactive or proactive…

This article explains the combination of instructional practices called personalized contextual instruction (PCI) and illustrates its implementation by a general education teacher, a special education teacher, and a paraprofessional working together in a multiage primary inclusive classroom. The PCI approach incorporates individual learning…

Twelve practical strategies that can be used by classroom teachers to prevent behavioral escalation are discussed, including reinforce calm, know the triggers, pay attention to anything unusual, do not escalate, intervene early, know the function of problem behavior, use extinction wisely, teach prosocial behavior, and teach academic survival…

This article explains how teachers can strengthen the self-efficacy of students who are struggling academically and increase their motivation for schoolwork. Instructional principles include linking new work to recent successes, teaching needed learning strategies, reinforcing effort and persistence, stressing peer modeling, and helping students…

This article describes the following steps for developing and implementing system-wide behavior support: establishing a foundation for collaboration; building faculty involvement; establishing a data-based decision-making system, brainstorming and selecting strategies within an action planning process; implementing a school-wide program through an…

This article describes how the affinity diagram, a tool for gathering information and organizing it into natural groupings, can be used in inclusive classrooms. It discusses how students can be taught to use an affinity diagram, how affinity diagrams can be used to reflect many voices, and how affinity diagrams can be used to plan class projects.…