Nine handicapped and nine nonhandicapped preschoolers were observed in three settings that differed in grouping, supervision, and teacher direction. Handicapped children spent less time on-task and interacted more frequently with adults and less frequently with peers than did nonhandicapped children. Furthermore, handicapped and nonhandicapped…

Suggestions are offered for organizing classrooms to promote learning by all students, including those with special educational needs. Two case studies illustrate the impact of reorganization of intermediate grade classrooms in terms of time on task, motivation, noise level, teacher-student communication, and other factors. (JDD)

This introductory paper identifies critical issues related to organization of caregiving environments for young children with handicaps, including physical and programmatic features, transitions between activities, transition between special preschool and kindergarten settings, classroom organization, the social-physical environment, the home…

Evidence clearly suggests that social competence and social adjustment are areas in which educable mentally retarded students may profit most from self-contained class placement, while the relative effects of self-contained versus mainstreamed environments on achievement remains equivocal. (Author)

A national survey of teachers serving students with serious emotional disturbances, with 191 respondents, sought to identify the nature of education programs for such students. Program types cited most frequently were mainstreaming and use of an environmental classroom structure. School demographics and teacher characteristics were also examined.…

Study results indicate that positive social interactions between nonhandicapped and handicapped students in the integrated music classroom, with increases in nonhandicapped students' acceptance of handicapped students, are not a result of music classroom experiences and music instruction alone, but also of the degree to which teaching conditions…

The booklet is intended for regular and special educators involved with visually impaired students in North Carolina local schools. Seven sections are devoted to the following topics (sample subtopics in parentheses): characteristics (low vision training, vision testing); classroom arrangement (seating location, lighting); materials (large print,…

This checklist is intended to be used as a rating instrument to assist in the design and description of classroom learning environments that provide for student diversity, including the mainstreaming of students with disabilities. Specific purposes of the checklist are to provide a framework for describing the organizational characteristics of…

This guide is designed to be a practical resource for educators on the integration of general education students and those students with exceptional education needs between the ages of 3 and 5 years. Chapter 1 discusses the rationale for integration and examines what research says about the effects of integration on the development of young…

Examined special education effectiveness for students with mild disabilities in six California grade schools. Found that no single feature, structure, or organization of school environment consistently indicated a school's relative standing or its relative effectiveness based on student performance. Findings posed implications for educational…

The volume focuses on best practices in specific areas of programming for mentally retarded students which teachers and support service personnel must address before considering curriculum content. The first of three sections consists of four chapters focusing on the following philosophical considerations: characteristics of students with mental…

This teaching guide provides teachers of young children with a philosophy and guidelines for teaching that address children's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. The guide describes a curriculum that offers teachers guidance, support, and freedom to be creative and responsive with children, and provides children, including…

This Spanish-language teaching guide provides early childhood teachers with a philosophy and guidelines for teaching that address children's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. The guide describes a curriculum that offers teachers guidance, support, and freedom to be creative and responsive with children, and provides children,…