The paper addresses placement of students with severe disabilities in regular or special classes within home schools, describes Vermont's Homecoming Model Project, and identifies best educational practices. The roles of state-level support and school leadership are stressed. Instructional strategies including data-based methods, partner learning…

This manual has been developed to assist local California education agencies, placing agencies, and providers in the implementation of the revised requirements for the appointment of surrogate parents for special education pupils, ages 0 through 21. Also included is an explanation of state and federal mandates for parent involvement, educational…

A project developed at Indiana University of Pennsylvania was designed to meet the needs of secondary school teachers of French and Spanish in two areas: proficiency maintenance and improvement, and proficiency testing. The program consisted of four phases, two during the funding period and two follow-up. The first, proficiency-building, involved…

Both norm-referenced and criterion-referenced interpretations of student, school, district, and state testing data can be improved by customizing the traditional norm-referenced test. Improvements that can be made include: (1) increasing the relevance of the test to the curriculum and (2) having greater confidence in the national comparative…

This guide is intended to reduce the youth suicide rate by teaching decision-making skills and coping mechanisms, and helping students develop self-esteem and communication skills. It was designed to be used by a local suicide prevention curriculum committee or team responsible for the development, implementation, and evaluation of the local…

This training manual consists of two major sections: a "Handbook for Conducting an Elementary Program Review" and the "Elementary Program Quality Criteria" document. The handbook is designed to assist a program review team in (1) judging the effect of curriculum, instructional methodologies, and effectiveness strategies on…

The revised Arkansas Educational Technology Plan, of the year 2000, is an updated and more detailed plan that is necessary for providing specific help to all levels of the state educational system. The primary focus of the plan is to enhance instruction for higher student achievement through technology and provide a framework to allow this to…

This study evaluated the effectiveness and efficiency of the Georgia Cooperative School Programme which provides work experiences for high school students with mental retardation or other disabilities through coordination with rehabilitation services. Evaluation indicated the program appears to prevent some dropouts but improved interagency…

The current status of state mental retardation/developmental disability agency information systems related to day and employment programs for persons with disabilities is described. Data regarding the number and characteristics of persons served in various day-employment programs and the funding sources are summarized. Suggestions regarding data…

This special issue examines multicultural aspects of services provided by agencies concerned with children's mental health. The lead article is titled "Developing Culturally Competent Organizations" by James L. Mason. This article uses the cultural competence model to discuss an organization's self-evaluation and its planning in the…

This manual presents guidelines to assist Vermont schools in the systems change involved in implementing full inclusion for students with disabilities in general education classrooms and community settings. The first chapter addresses general issues concerned with full inclusion, including Vermont's vision for education, the role of collaborative…

This handbook was developed to assist local education agency personnel in establishing and administering high school apprenticeship programs, especially in North Carolina. The guide is organized in seven chapters that cover the following topics: (1) what apprenticeship is; (2) how a registered apprenticeship program works; (3) why employers choose…

While states have developed the infrastructure to support effective education programs on Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), inadequacies exist in the content of curricula, guidelines, and program design. Many state programs fail to provide children with all the information they need in order to avoid and…

The reference group summaries for the data from the October 1991 Comprehensive Assessment Reports for New York State are presented in two separate booklets, Part 1 and Part 2. The purpose of the reference group summaries is to enable school administrators to compare the data for their schools and school districts with those for the various…

This report which describes state systems for financing special education programs for school-age children with disabilities, is based on a is based on a national survey of state directors of special education during the 1992-93 school year. Emphasis is on determining state funding formulas, recognizing that many states are currently in various…