The paper reviews some of the early landmarks of special education in Russia and follows the historical highlights of special education as it has developed in the Soviet Union. Trends in special education theory, research, and practice are identified. (Author/CL)

Scientific inquiry used in special education research has limited effectiveness and applicability to practice. Three interrelated areas are discussed in the context of improving research methodology and utilization: alternative approaches to research in special education; the class distinction between teachers and researchers; and practical…

The study evaluated research quality and journal outlets in special education. Both data-based research and reviews of the literature from special education and non-special education journals were compared on such criteria as research sophistication and citations of articles of review board members. A general lack of research sophistication was…

A summary of a national survey of administrators in correctional and special education is discussed. Inservice and preservice training programs in corrections and special education at the University of Maryland are reviewed. Recommendations are made, including the need to make graduates streetwise and politically savvy as well as professionally…

This literature review focuses on the dropout phenomenon in general education, discussing interventions, dropout characteristics, and consequences of dropping out, and emphasizing literature on special education dropouts. The paper concludes by discussing implications for research and service programs that can address the dropout problem in…

School districts (N=145) were surveyed on program evaluation in special education, addressing preplanning, who evaluates special education programs, the focus of evaluation activities, methods for obtaining evaluative information, criteria for judging program effectiveness, and perceived benefits of the evaluation process. Plans for program…

The French Enlightenment spawned intellectual activities and concepts that had positive impact on the genesis and development of special education, including altering societal perceptions of handicapped persons, devising training methods still used today, and imbuing special education with a spirit of hope and optimism. (Author/CB)

Responses to EC 604 077 include "A Proposed Certification Model for Special Education" (Paul Sindelar et al.), "Categorical versus Noncategorical versus Cross-Categorical Teacher Certification in Special Education" (Ann Nevin), and "Do We Have to Choose Categorical versus Noncategorical?" (Judith Bondurant-Utz et…

Twenty special education teacher trainees and 20 special education cooperating teachers following the implementation of instructional lessons, estimated levels of children's performance. Chi-square analyses and tests on teachers' estimates suggested that, despite confidence in their own judgments, teachers tended to be inaccurate and to overrate…

Compliance with policy mandates and instructional complexity are unique aspects of special education for which peer review, applied research, and qualitative/naturalistic methods used for evaluating general education are inadequate. A conceptual map designed to organize longitudinal, systematic evaluation of special education addresses its special…

Using data from the national Phi Delta Kappa study (22,018 students; 9,652 teachers; and 276 principals), it was found that 64 percent of the students eligible for special education services were categorized as learning disabled and that students with special education labels were at greater risk to fail in school than students not so labeled. (DB)

The article provides an overview of legal and administrative demands of special education policy at state and local levels. The legal context in which special education occurs is discussed, along with a suggested approach to analyzing existing special education policy, identifying policy needs, and developing new policies. (CL)

This article addresses the efforts of school districts to use private health insurance or Medicaid to subsidize special education services. It notes that such efforts have been generally unsuccessful, time-consuming, and costly. A legal explanation of the reasons for such failures is provided. (Author/DB)

The article synthesizes results of studies dealing with cross age and peer tutoring in special education, noting both tutor and tutee benefits (academic and personal/social). Implications for instruction are noted. (CL)

This article provides a review of educational reforms that are critical of contemporary special education practices, presents the principles embodied in the total quality education (TQE) movement, and argues the need for special education to be fully involved in the general education reform movement. (Author/JDD)