Administrative data sets can play a key role in informing and influencing education provision. To date, longitudinal analysis of special educational needs (SEN) in Northern Ireland (NI) has not been a visible feature of policy discourse, even though the number of these pupils has increased at a rate that is proportionally higher than the general…

The paper compares current practices of identifying students with special educational needs in Australia and Scotland. Noted are problems generated by the abandonment of a category-based approach to such children. Australian and Scottish practice are also compared to United States' experience in light of Public Law 94-142. (Author/DB)

This review of research and related developments in special education in Scotland from 1975-1985 concludes that research has increased the knowledge and understanding of teachers of pupils with learning difficulties and has underpinned policy development, but that teachers need to be encouraged to be more involved in research. (Author/JDD)