In the United States black women have for decades been twice as likely as white women to give birth to babies of low birth weight who are at elevated risk for developmental disabilities. Does the black-white disparity in low birth weight contribute to the racial disparity in readiness? The author summarizes the cognitive and behavioral problems…

Standards-based reform efforts are highly dependent on accurate assessment of all students, including those with disabilities. The accuracy of current large-scale assessments is undermined by construct-irrelevant factors including access barriers, a particular problem for students with disabilities. Testing accommodations such as the read-aloud…

This article addresses how teacher preparation programs can best respond to the broad, complex calls for reform in ways that are locally meaningful and honor academic integrity, but that are also true to the intent of the reform mandates. The authors begin with an overview of some of the federal and state initiatives that are presenting challenges…

Influential historic documents in American education are presented in Chapter I, including legislation, land grants for common schools and universities and for agricultural and mechanical colleges, Bureau of Education role, early discussion on establishing a national university, and state constitutions' education provisions. Also included are the…

A quasi-experimental study, which focused on inculcating resilience skills in adolescents with specific learning difficulties by means of a group intervention programme, is reported on. The results of the study suggested that adolescents with specific learning difficulties can acquire resilience skills despite obstacle-ridden circumstances, but…

This report, prepared by the Virginia Department of Education and presented to the U.S. Department of Education, proposes that Virginia will continue the implementation of successful initiatives and strategies to build capacity to prepare, recruit, and retain high quality teachers at both the local and state levels. Additionally, several new…

This is the thirteenth edition of the most comprehensive reference book covering the wide range of learning disabilities resources available nationwide. This directory contains well over 7,000 entries and covers the schools, learning centers, vocational training programs, associations and organizations, and government agencies involved in learning…

The ways in which the needs of special populations--students in poverty, English learners, and particularly special education students--have been addressed in studies measuring educational adequacy vary widely. This paper analyzes how these populations have been treated across various adequacy studies, with its major focus on special education…

Creating accessible and engaging lessons for students with reading disabilities (RD) in inclusive classrooms is particularly challenging for special educators in upper elementary and middle school settings. Older students with RD have difficulty accessing the texts that serve as the basis for instruction, and years of repeated failure can leave…

Swaziland is planning to introduce inclusive education as part of education for all. The innovation may benefit learners with emotional and behavioural disorders (EBD). A purposive teacher sample (N = 47) was used to generate and identify behavioural problems that are prevalent in Swazi schools. Aggression was one of the many conduct disorders…

With the mandate of "No Child Left Behind," high-stakes achievement testing is firmly in place in every state. The few studies that have explored the effectiveness of high-stakes testing using NAEP scores have yielded mixed results. This study considered state demographic characteristics for each NAEP testing period in reading, writing,…

"Putting the Pieces Together" provided a distinctive opportunity for professionals to interact with their colleagues to learn more about effective practices and strategies for meeting the needs of deaf or hard of hearing students at the secondary and postsecondary levels. Conference participants engaged is sessions that focused on…

By fiscal year 1994, all local educational agencies (LEAs) in West Virginia had implemented the statewide system of standards and measures mandated by the 1990 Perkins Act. The second evaluation under this system indicated that the majority of vocational programs met the standards for student satisfaction, placement, employer satisfaction, and…

This publication contains 11 conference papers on topics in developmental education. "The Conation Cycle: From Goal to Finished Product" (Joanne Cree Burgert) is on motivation and a learning skills class. "Student Empowerment and Awakening Through Effective Placement Exams" (Robert Holderer) introduces the Modified Primary…

This book presents information on parent and family conferencing skills to assist classroom teachers in becoming involved in helping parents and families contend with the various issues they routinely confront when raising and living with a child with a disability. Part 1, "The Family of the Child with an Exceptionality," discusses the impact of…