This study investigated the perceptions of learning disabilities (LD) by 65 general and 52 special educators in Korea and their opinions about including students with LD in general education classrooms. Results indicated that general educators were aware of the characteristics of LD but not enough to identify them in individual students. In…

While it is recognized that self-concept and self-esteem affect the academic achievement of students, few publications have focused on the affective and psychological needs of students who are gifted and ethnically or culturally diverse. In this article, we extend the discussion of self-concept and achievement by focusing on how racial identity…

Social images of Indian/white relations, so typically born and nurtured in fiction, frequently seem impervious to fact, circumstance, perspective, or even argument. Despite a public that in record numbers consumed descriptions like the one that closes Dee Brown's 1971 book, for instance, official accounts of the massacre at Wounded Knee--like…

With the increasing enrollment of multicultural students in public schools, it is necessary to understand how to provide appropriate services to students from diverse backgrounds. Testing situations are also increasing with the addition of the No Child Left Behind Act. In order to accurately assess whether students are performing poorly due to not…

In Spring 2005 the Maine Legislature passed legislation establishing an isolated small school adjustment in the Essential Programs and Services (EPS) funding formula. The adjustment for isolated small high schools (i.e. under 200 pupils) was a reduction in student-teacher ratios in the formula calculations, and in the case of isolated elementary…

The IDEIA 2004 presents opportunities for change in our methods for improving the process of Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) identification. While common approaches to improvement often focus on the assessment tools alone, consideration of stakeholder values and resource constraints are equally important to develop effective solutions that…

This paper looks at some of the issues raised by Ogbu's work in relation to the education of different minority ethnic groups. Ogbu poses questions such as the value attached to education, its links to the future and its measurable outcomes in terms of "success" as experienced by black participants. The desire for better life chances…

Tutors working for The Open University of Israel (OUI), a distance learning institution, are often the only academic staff who have direct contact with students. Their performance is therefore crucial for the university. The nature of their job, however, might hinder optimal performance: they are temporary and part time employees, and thus have…

In the field of special education, educators and researchers are continually searching for effective methods that might improve the academic or behavioral performance of students that are at risk or are identified with special needs. The need for effective methods is particularly salient with regard to those students identified with or at risk for…

This book is for teachers, teacher educators, school and district administrators, policy makers, and researchers who want to know about literacy, cultural diversity, and students who speak little or no English. It offers a rich picture of the incredible diversity of students who enter secondary school as immigrants--their abilities, their needs,…

With the implementation in 2003 of the federal education law known as No Child Left Behind, students from all cultural and linguistic backgrounds, including English language learners (ELLs), are required to perform well on state assessments. Since the numbers of ELLs in schools are growing and since schools are held accountable for all students'…

A discussion of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction in the mainstream classroom focuses on teacher training needs to meet the educational needs of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students. After a brief analysis of the teacher's role in relation to the development of all students, and in particular to the language development of LEP…

The Educational Testing Service is developing a series of assessments for the licensure of beginning teachers. The third stage of these assessments will measure the beginning teacher's application of teaching knowledge and skills, and the assessments will be performance-based. Job analysis studies were conducted to provide data to define the…

This text, designed to be a comprehensive introduction to special education, emphasizes linking research and practice and implementing best practices in the education of students with learning disabilities, mental retardation, behavioral/emotional problems, giftedness, speech and/or language impairments, visual impairments, hearing impairments,…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of the Illinois state project on services for children with deaf-blindness, a 3-year federally supported project to address the needs of children (ages birth to 21) who are deaf-blind. Project activities included inservice training and technical assistance, development of a comprehensive…