This final report discusses the activities and outcomes of the SPARK (Skills Promoted through Arts, Reading, and Knowledge) demonstration project, a project designed to provide inservice training and a preschool curriculum to enable professional early childhood staff to use literacy and the arts to promote the skill development of young children…

Distance learning educators may utilize techniques formerly designed for students with learning disabilities (LD) to enrich the experience of distance education students. Both LD and distance learners suffer from "learned helplessness"--an inability to set realistic goals and a limited perception of the rewards of education. These problems,…

This resource paper provides an overview of student financial aid and discusses the roles and responsibilities of those who play a significant part in the process of providing aid to students with disabilities. The paper also addresses the financial aid application procedure and suggests timelines and resources for those individuals who are…

This book explores alternative strategies in teaching and learning, offering an expose of how to interpret curriculum, prepare lessons, construct lesson plans, present lessons effectively, develop teacher-student relationships, and appraise lessons constructively before and after presentation. The book highlights the importance of pedagogical…

This study examined influences that preservice literacy teacher education courses and sustained relationships with literacy researchers had on the literacy practices of three preservice teachers during student teaching and their subsequent self-efficacy and performance as literacy teachers during their first teaching years. Data collected during…

This document reports on the activities and achievements of a federally supported project in Arizona to provide inservice early childhood personnel with the necessary competencies and strategies to facilitate the inclusion of assistive technology for young children with disabilities. The 5-year project focused on three major assistive technology…

This text is designed not only as a teaching text but also as a reference source for students and professionals on the assessment of the cognitive development of children. Chapters address: (1) process challenges of assessing children; (2) context challenges in assessing children; (3) ethical, legal, and professional applications of assessment…

This document identifies resources that serve young children and their families affected by alcohol and other drug use. The resources are organized into three sections: National Training and Information Resources, State Programs and Agencies, and Federal Funding Sources. Information on locating grant funds from federal agencies, private…

This document presents the full revised course descriptions for Florida exceptional student education in grades 6-8. Courses incorporate the Florida standards for a special diploma. Requirements include a list of related benchmarks from the state standards for each level of functioning: independent, supported, and participatory. Introductory…

Considerable attention has been given to parental involvement in education in the last decade, and the movement has empowered parents and given them a moral and legal right to be involved as partners with the schools and community agencies in the education of their children. This text provides a collaborative model which parents, teachers, and…

This final report discusses the activities and outcomes of the Elementary and Middle Schools Technical Assistance Center (EMSTAC), which has developed a model of special education technical assistance (TA) to local school districts that can be implemented on a national scale. This report provides a comprehensive examination of EMSTAC's support to…

This final report discusses the activities and outcomes of the Wisconsin FACETS program, a program that provides parent information and training services for underserved parents and caretakers of infants, toddlers, children, and young adults with disabilities who live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The goals of the program are provided, along with a…

This paper discusses a study that investigated whether competencies identified by the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) could be used to document job skills of students with mild disabilities. Participants in the study were 17 teachers, job coaches, and parents associated with a high school special education department…

This paper explores the apparent "digital divide" in information, communication, and/or assistive technology availability that exists between special needs students and their mainstream counterparts. A literature review indicates that although great advances have been made in public schools during the last decade in acquiring computers and…

Past and present policies and practices in education and vocational training for offenders in the United Kingdom were examined. Changes in the content, delivery, and funding of education and vocational training for offenders over the past decade were reviewed. Special attention was paid to the following changes that took place in 2001: (1)…