The purpose of this study was to investigate factors related to placement in special education for males and females. The conceptual approach included individual, family, and school characteristics believed to influence educational performance and outcomes with emphasis was given to variables for with evidence of differential effects for males and…

Disproportionality in special education is a widespread problem for racial minorities, particularly for African and Native American students. Furthermore, special education placements for racial minority students tend to be highly restrictive and permanent. School personnel might approach this problem through a focus on prevention. That is,…

Certain minority students are over represented in special education programs nationwide. Many of these students identified for special education receive services outside of the general education classroom through the resource room (pull out) model. The Content Mastery Center (CMC) is a resource/consulting model that is an alternative to the…

This article highlights the educational experiences of African American adolescent boys, particularly their overrepresentation in special education, and the deleterious effects on this population. Using a qualitative methodology, data were collected from adolescent boys participating in an after-school rite of passage program in which the…

Background: This longitudinal study examines the long-term effects on the achievement of students at a diverse suburban high school after all students were given accelerated mathematics in a detracked middle school as well as ninth-grade "high-track" curriculum in all subjects in heterogeneously grouped classes. Despite considerable…

This review of research and literature examines issues related to the identification of potentially gifted students from groups most likely to be underrepresented in gifted education programs, including racial and ethnic minority groups, economically disadvantaged students, and those with limited English proficiency. Three major reasons for…

Teacher quality is one of the most important predictors of a child's academic achievement, but schools in Indiana and across the nation are struggling to employ a full cadre of teachers who are qualified to instruct the subjects they are teaching. This policy brief explores the factors and circumstances behind the national struggle to meet the…

In this important and sobering report, the authors provide a broad perspective on the U.S. prison population and offer judgments about the status of prison education programs. This report brings together data and information from a variety of sources to provide an educational perspective on the nation's prison population. It examines the size and…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 established a requirement that all states develop and submit to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) a performance plan designed to advance the state from its current level of compliance with the statutory and regulatory requirements of the law…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which school populations reflect the profile of the local communities in which they are located, to support the development of policy and debate around school admissions and parental choice. The investigation also aimed to examine the effect that one school's intake has on another local…

This digest summarizes the problem of over-representation of minority students in special education and offers suggestions to reduce this disproportionate representation. It notes concerns of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) that minority students are being misclassified and receiving…

This article examines issues in the education of culturally different students in the nation's schools. The first section examines factors underlying the future education of this population including demographic increases in numbers of culturally diverse students in the schools, historic discrimination against these groups, and…

Some of the reasons for the overrepresentation of minority students in special education programs are reviewed from historical and contemporary perspectives, and the effects of this overrepresentation and some of the proposals to eliminate, or at least remedy, this situation are examined. In the 1960s, many people rejected the genetic explanations…

This Issue Brief examines participation in formal, post compulsory learning activities (such as college programs and courses, employer-provided training, and other coursework) in which computer technologies were used to deliver instruction. The analysis uses the 2001 Adult Education and Lifelong Learning Survey of the National Household Education…

Notes that incidence of violence reflects disproportionate representation of ethnic and racial minorities, especially African Americans and Latinos, as both victims and victimizers. Presents model for understanding cultures in context of American society to help school psychologists develop effective violence prevention strategies. (Author/NB)