Like many other states, California is facing a daunting budget deficit, reportedly about $19 billion. Delayed budgets have held up the disbursement of money, affecting school programs in districts as well as at the California School for the Blind (CSB). The current financial constraints have had an impact on CSB's programs. Its department of seven…

As the population of English Language Learners (ELLs) continues to grow in schools, so does the concern for their lack of academic progress and the possible inequitable representation of this culturally and linguistically diverse population in special education (Artiles, Rueda, Salazar, & Higareda, 2005; Guiberson, 2009; Mac Swan &…

The formation of a consortium of schools and an ensuing project in individually guided education (IGE) are described. (HMD)

SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND COMPUTER SIMULATION TECHNIQUES WERE APPLIED IN DESCRIBING THE BIOLOGY COURSE AT THE THEODORE HIGH SCHOOL, THEODORE, ALABAMA, WHICH WAS SELECTED AS THE UNIT OF STUDY BECAUSE OF ITS ORGANIZATION OF COURSES FOR INDIVIDUAL PROGRESS. A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF THE BIOLOGY COURSE WAS PRESENTED IN TERMS OF THE (1) INSTRUCTIONAL MEDIA,…

Preparing teachers for special education in the United States is a reflection that is not merely another attempt to reinvent the wheel. Rather, it is an investigation to learn from the past, use applications today in order to secure concrete and measurable goals in the diversified future of special education in America. Several historical figures…

Two-hundred and sixty-five individual education plans (IEPs) from 13 California school districts representing programs operating under traditional special education funding were evaluated to determine their comprehensiveness, specificity, clarity, and extent to which a "least restrictive environment" was provided. Through interviews with…

SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND COMPUTER SIMULATION TECHNIQUES WERE APPLIED IN A STUDY OF THE ORGANIZATION OF A BIOLOGY COURSE FOR INDIVIDUAL PROGRESS. THEODORE HIGH SCHOOL AT THEODORE, ALABAMA, WAS SELECTED FOR STUDY BECAUSE OF ITS APPROACH TO THE ORGANIZATION OF ITS RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS TO LEARN ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS. DESCRIBED IN THIS INTRODUCTORY…

This 5-year multisite mixed-methods evaluation study chronicles the field-testing of the planning process Guidelines for Selecting Alternatives to Overreliance on Paraprofessionals in 26 schools (Grades K-12) in six states. Evaluation of the utilization and outcomes of the guidelines process was based on data from 472 study participants. Findings…

The Far West Laboratory Model (Far West School) in downtown Oakland, California, an employer-based career education program of experiential learning, has focused on the developmental issues of how high school academic requirements and career exploration in the community can be integrated into a common set of learning activities, and the virtues…

Although public school districts in Southern California are experiencing declining enrollment overall, accompanying this decline is a continuing increase in the percentage of students classified as English language learners (EL). In one Southern California school district with an enrollment of approximately 5,500, EL represented almost 31% of…

The purpose of this successful experimental program at the College of San Mateo was to determine whether active participation in an individualized instructional program such as the Learning Center would be related to a lower level of attrition of first-time freshmen who are identified as high probability dropouts. Forty-nine potential dropout…

The recent passage of legislation in California requiring local education agencies to establish performance based education programs will increase the role and responsibilities of school librarians and media specialists. The legislation will result in giving librarians, through the goals established by the school district, specific objectives in…

The Youth Career Action Program is an example of a vocational-educational program that can be implemented within a large city in conjunction with a secondary school district. The YCAP Center provides a clearly designated place for hard-to-place young people--primarily those who are under-educated, economically disadvantaged, and have little…

Recent literature notes a significant increase in students being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Yet, no uniform testing protocol exists. It is vital for students and educators that a unified testing process be created and established. This study investigated which ASD testing instruments were currently used in Southern California…

The NIMH Healthy Living Project (HLP), a randomized behavioral intervention trial for people living with HIV, enrolled 943 individuals, including women, heterosexual men, injection drug users, and men who have sex with men from Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New York, and San Francisco. The intervention, which is based on qualitative formative research…