Engagement behaviors are crucial for school success and are often targeted for improvement in school-based interventions. It may be helpful for both researchers and school-based practitioners to understand the likely impacts of interventions on engagement behaviors (e.g., to understand the extent to which engagement behaviors might change with…

Secondary data analyses occur when new analyses are proposed for existing data. Although they are prevalent in special education research, there is little guidance on how to prepare secondary data analyses studies. Preregistration of secondary data analyses studies provides a nice opportunity and structure for fellow researchers to share…

This essay provides a two-pronged critical assessment of a subset of the literature on racial disproportionality in special education: that which aims to estimate racial disparities among otherwise similar children. This body of research has shown that Black students are less likely than "comparable" White students to receive special…

Gifted education has a rich history and a solid if uneven research base. As policy makers and educators increasingly turn their attention to advanced students and educational excellence, the time is ripe for a dispassionate analysis of the field's conceptual and empirical strengths and weaknesses. The purpose of this special feature article…

This article discusses the strategic scaling up of evidence-based practices. The authors draw from the scholarly work of fellow special education researchers and from the field of learning sciences. The article defines scaling up as the process by which researchers or educators initially implement interventions on a small scale, validate them, and…

This comment on "Transition Issues for the 1990s" (Knowlton and Clark, 1987) argues that transition program professionals should focus on providing services rather than the labeling of handicapped persons and that transition program objectives should focus on employment, rather than such outcomes as independent living and social networking. (JDD)

In response to a comment on the authors' earlier work, this article makes two points: (1) current transition literature is too narrowly focused to appeal to diverse audiences that have histories of categorical specialization, and (2) transition outcome goals should encompass the community and home as well as employment settings. (JDD)

This article reviews research on the incorporation of multicultural education in preservice general and special education teacher preparation programs from 1997 to 2006. A total of 46 studies, 39 from general education and 7 from special education teacher education programs, met the criteria for inclusion in this literature review. Findings…

Educational research has found few benefits of preprimary school nonpromotion; nevertheless, in many countries the practice remains quite common. The aim of this study is to extend knowledge regarding preprimary nonpromotion via investigation of a wide set of child and family characteristics deemed predictive and discriminative of different…

The following major variables in preschool intervention programs for disadvantaged children, and the effects of these variables on intellectual development of the children involved, are examined: curriculum models, home intervention, age for intervention, and length of intervention program. (KW)

An evaluation of empirical evidence from three studies published in journal articles and a book chapter indicated insufficient cause to view the Adaptive Learning Environments Model as a successful, large-scale, full-time mainstreaming program for integrating handicapped pupils and remedial/compensatory education students into general education.…

Identified are four major fallacies in Douglas Fuchs and Lynn Fuchs' critique of the Adaptive Learning Environments Model (ALEM) and the General Education Initiative (GEI): erroneous interpretations of the GEI, segregationism in the Fuchs' point of view, the research base of the ALEM, and readiness for the GEI. (JDD)

This paper refutes the arguments of Margaret Wang and Herbert Walberg in their support of the Adaptive Learning Environments Model (ALEM) and the General Education Initiative. It focuses on the small number of ALEM implementations and replications, weaknesses of the research and evaluations supporting ALEM, and other specific criticisms. (JDD)

Described are the activities of the Division of Innovation and Development, a branch of the Bureau of Education for the Handicapped in three areas--research and development of evaluation instruments and learning and diagnostic aids, administration of programs, and evaluation activities. (SBH)

The article explores the process of change in special education and reviews major research projects of a five-year (1985-90) federal research program of the Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs. Forty-one projects addressed eight priority areas, including enhancing instructional program options and educating students with…