The issue presents three articles on autism. The first, "Autism--A Professional Challenge" by Carl Smith, introduces the other two articles and very briefly defines autism as "severe communication and behavior disorders that become manifest during the early stages of childhood development and that are characterized by a severely…

Throughout the country, organizations of intellectuals (most of them called Independent Scholars' Roundtables) meet to discuss issues of importance to them. The participants share knowledge, problem-solving methods, and experiences. The groups may be organized around a particular discipline or they may be interdisciplinary. They are typically open…

This document consists of an explanation of business incubator programs, descriptions of such programs in the 14 states funding them, descriptions of activity in four other states that are considering funding similar programs, and the names and addresses of existing business incubator program contracts. (CML)

Four articles address school programs for gifted students. Topics covered include a curriculum based on the Structure of Intellect model, a realistic program for gifted students; an Illinois program entitled "Project Impact"; and Saturday seminars for students in the Catskill area. (SB)

The newsletter describes the development of a vocational training model for severely handicapped and deaf blind adolescents. The need for innovative vocational models in the secondary school is discussed. Three stages of the vocational training model are presented--assessment in five job samples (food service, groundskeeping-agriculture,…

Adopt-A-School programs are models of school-community involvement and cooperation in which businesses, organizations, and industries adopt schools and contribute funds, personnel, or expertise to those schools for programs, projects, and services. This bulletin highlights the Adopt-A-School program in the Oakland (California) Unified School…

Intended for parents and educators of academically talented students, the newletter presents highlights of the Midwest Talent Search (MTS) project and related information on gifted education. The goals and course offerings of MTS are described, and an address by Julian Stanley to gifted students is summarized. Summer program highlights of the MTS…

There is a great deal of confusion over the proper relationship of religion to education, and many people believe that Supreme Court decisions have forbidden any mention of God or religion in schools. However, court opinions and other legal statements make it clear that it is legal and desirable to teach about religion in the schools and that the…

Nine distinct programs aimed at reducing the dropout rate and bringing "at-risk" students back into the educational mainstream are described in this publication. The document first notes the social and economic costs to the nation of students dropping out before completing high school. The report then describes changes in Wisconsin's attendance…

Camelot is a microcomputer-based system for individualizing information in a variety of settings. The information is not prespecified in Camelot and, consequently, can take many forms including instruction, counseling, prescription, and task assignment. The basis for individualizing the information is also not predeclared; therefore, users can…

The National School Resource Network (NSRN) has been established by a grant from the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, to meet the challenge of school disruption, violence, and vandalism. NSRN's goal is to assist schools in preventing and reducing these problems by identifying and…

Two methods of controlling visitors and strangers in schools are presented: one utilizes a student visitor reception committee and the other describes various techniques of visual identification of visitors to permit faculty and students to know who does and does not belong in the school. Methods of identification include visitor ribbons and…

Youth Action Teams have been implemented in over 14 sites across the country in the past few years. Such teams are made up of a diverse group of youth working together on a project through the school, a youth service organization, a community organization, or the government. The team decides its focus, and what projects its members wish to…

Various aspects of effective secondary school athletic program administration are discussed. Separate sections outline factors school principals should consider concerning role of the athletic program in the overall curriculum, program management, safety and care of equipment, criteria for student participation, participation requirements,…

The eight English language arts programs in the six Florida public schools included among the 150 Centers of Excellence in English selected by the National Council of Teachers of English are described in this focused journal issue. Following an introductory essay by coeditor Edward Deluzain describing the Centers of Excellence selection procedure,…