China has initiated experiments on "Learning in Regular Classrooms" (LRC) since the mid-1980s in response to the international trend of inclusive education and the domestic need of serving large numbers of children with disabilities. LRC is the main strategy to promote compulsory education for youngsters with disabilities. Despite the…

This article presents research that was conducted at the Autism Institute, an organization serving children with autism and their families in the People's Republic of China. The article examines and highlights aspects of the teacher training model at the Autism Institute that have led to the preparation of highly qualified, enthusiastic, and…

Available from: Teacher Education and Special Education, The Council for Exceptional Children, 1920 Association Drive, Reston, Virginia 22091. The article focuses on the preparation of regular teachers to deal with mildly learning disabled and behavior problem children. (CL)

Available from: Teacher Education and Special Education, The Council for Exceptional Children, 1920 Association Drive, Reston, Virginia 22091. The authors review research on the current status of inservice and preservice teacher education, discuss characteristics of students and faculty in special and regular education, and cite problems in…

Aspects discussed include federal responsibility in Indian education, the need for federal leadership and coordination, and the need for in service and preservice training. (Author/DLS)

The need for personnel preparation planning in special education is emphasized, and guidelines for meeting and going beyond the personnel preparation requirements in P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, are suggested. (CL)

Results are presented from a needs assessment of 474 special education teacher educators. (CL)

This article reviews the literature on preparing teachers to work with and supervise paraeducators in classrooms serving students at risk or with disabilities. Although considerable agreement was found on the content of such preparation, the review found that the number of researchers and developers in this area is currently small. (DB)

This study found that Missouri special education teachers (n=198) felt that their undergraduate courses inadequately prepared them for working with children from families without two biological parents in the same household, though this training was felt to be important. The majority of subjects had received in-service training related to divorce,…

In discussing distance education to address special-education teacher shortages, this paper examines three problems inherent in the delivery of distance education and uses the teacher-effectiveness literature to explore potential enhancements. It describes an inservice workshop in which distance education was supplemented with a groupware…

This article introduces following articles that address the concept of "communities of practice" as a particular theoretical approach to the professional development of teachers. Using this concept, articles describe programs focused on the assessment of literacy instruction, building inclusive educational environments, and vocabulary learning in…

This commentary discusses three previous articles that address the concept of "communities of practice" as a particular theoretical approach to the professional development of teachers. The need to establish a learning community across levels of expertise rather than within them is emphasized. (CR)

This commentary discusses three previous articles that address the concept of "communities of practice" as a particular theoretical approach to the professional development of teachers. Challenges faced in trying to foster community in educational practice are addressed, and the promotion of professionalism in teaching through a dialectical…

This introductory article notes the special issue's purpose of highlighting ways to close gaps between research and practice in special education from the perspective of teacher preparation, inservice training, professional development, and collaborations between researchers and teachers in local schools. (DB)