The essays in this collection provide a background for discussions about multiculturalism, cultural politics, and urban crises by illustrating the ways in which race is still a central source of meaning, identity, and power and why it is intensifying as a category, rather than diminishing. Selections include: (1) "Putting 'Race' in Its…

In May 1992 the dropout rate among Hispanic students was 36.6 percent in the Providence (Rhode Island) public schools. A survey was administered in Spanish or English to 232 Hispanic students and 52 teachers at 3 high schools to assess ways to reduce the dropout rate. An attempt to follow up on the Hispanic students listed as dropouts succeeded in…

A survey was administered in Spanish or English to 232 Hispanic students and 52 teachers at 3 Providence (Rhode Island) high schools to assess student needs and find solutions to the dropout problem. An attempt to follow up on Hispanic students listed as dropouts succeeded in locating only 15, some of whom were actually enrolled in alternative…

This study, part of Project Mandala, created and tested an identification model which utilized a profile approach to identify gifted students (including those traditionally under-identified) in two age groups, 4-8 years and 11-14 years. The overall protocol included seven steps: (1) drawing nominations from a wide base including parents, school…

This review of the literature looks at family influences on the achievement of economically disadvantaged youth, with an emphasis on relationships among families, academic achievement, and gifted education. Theoretical perspectives on the study of families have focused primarily on families as static systems and families as dynamic systems and,…

The model presented in this book provides a language for talking about the inner gifts of children, especially those students who have accumulated labels such as Learning Disabled (LD) and Attention Deficit Disorders (ADD) during their school careers, and describes how educators can bring Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences (MI), a…

A study tracked 3,192 University of Iowa freshmen through their first year and into their second year on campus. Logistic regression analyses using multiple data sources (admissions and registrar files, a standardized entrance test (the American College Testing Program Assessment) student profile section, an entering freshman survey) were…

This collection of 18 papers on assessing infants and toddlers includes the views of parents, clinicians, researchers, and policymakers. The following papers are included: (1) "Toward a New Vision for the Developmental Assessment of Infants and Young Children" (Stanley I. Greenspan and Samuel J. Meisels); (2) "Charting the Continuum…

This study reviewed 1137 students' records from 25 school districts to determine if there is a possible conflict between Wisconsin's learning disabilities (LD) eligibility criteria and the federal definition under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It also surveyed student evaluation and placement teams concerning their application…

During Fiscal Year 1994, the Ohio Department of Education's Division of Early Childhood Education implemented internal structural changes to improve efficiency and effectiveness. The division prioritized program interests and functional activities including: (1) collaboration; (2) curriculum and professional development; (3) standards and…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of a federally supported 3-year project in South Carolina which provided: (1) special education and related services to children with deaf-blindness for whom the State Education Agency was not obligated to make available a free appropriate public education, and (2) technical assistance to…

This study evaluated the cost effectiveness of Instructional Support Teams (IST) in Pennsylvania, by comparing IST costs to those of traditional special education programs. An introduction notes pressures for change and the objectives of the prereferral intervention utilized in the IST approach. The study compared costs and program effectiveness…

This study examined the recording of special educational needs as required by the 1980 and 1981 Education Acts of Scotland, focusing on differing criteria for opening Records of Needs. The study conducted a national survey over 4 sample months of recording activity, interviewed key informants (usually a school's principal psychologist or education…

This study engaged the narratives and conversations of five white teachers in an urban school district as they explored the implications associated with seeing themselves as raced individuals. It also explored how an awareness of these narratives shaped the instructional environment created by these teachers. An important element in the analysis…

This handbook for parents explains how Wisconsin schools must go about finding, evaluating, developing programs for, and placing children with exceptional educational needs (EEN). The first section covers identification of EEN children, including Child Find, screening, and referral. The next sections look at evaluation of children by a…