The State Center for Services for the Visually Impaired in Schleswig (Germany) provides intensive counseling and support to students with visual impairments in transition between school and career. The community-based program promotes vocational and social integration of these individuals through organization of a model vocational counseling…

A professional development model implemented in rural Iowa schools involves participation of school teams in school improvement, technical assistance based on needs assessment, focus on teaching and learning strategies that promote meaningful connections, extended planning time, recognition that change requires long-term support, networking of…

Project NETWORC (Nevada Educational Television Working Out in Rural Communities) is presented as a model for ensuring effective preparation of rural special education teachers by delivering university courses to individuals already working in rural communities. Four courses are offered, each having a video segment, audioteleconferencing segment,…

This article describes several model programs that use telephone technology to link parents with professionals such as speech language pathologists. Strategies for developing and implementing a telephone answering machine call-in program to increase parent involvement in educational and clinical settings are offered, as are suggestions regarding…

The Vocational Education to Work model is a system of communication and support between vocational and special educators, designed to train students with disabilities in mainstreamed vocational education. The model's four sequential components include active recruitment, guided placement, continuing support, and job placement followup.…

Discusses diversity in the population of individuals with visual impairments, the changing role of orientation and mobility (O&M) specialists, and the broadened definition of O&M. An overview of best practices and model demonstration programs for providing O&M services to a diverse population of persons with visual impairments is presented. (SM)

Project TAPE (Technical Assistance for Postsecondary Education) was a two-year federal demonstration grant to provide technical assistance to personnel serving learning-disabled students in Illinois. The program involved training of support personnel, development and implementation of Specific Intervention Strategy modules, and a system of state…

An Amiga 500 microcomputer with a talking word processor was used by an Australian visually impaired elementary school pupil, to provide an alternative to braille in using text and writing. This article reviews the relevant literature, explores the challenges and limitations posed by the technology, and offers a case study of the student and her…

Describes 10 award-winning programs at rural and small schools, involving teacher induction and collegiality; improving student writing through word processing; integrating Indian Studies into the curriculum; developing self-esteem through peer teaching; student entrepreneurship; substance abuse prevention; training rural special education…

Low-income parents and children unaccustomed to a school environment are made to feel welcome in the Buffalo Public Schools' Parent Center. Parents are guided-through classes, discussions, and take-home computers-to be their children's teachers and to learn the school system well enough to negotiate it to their children's advantage. (CJS)

Dissemination approaches of the U.S. Department of Education are explored in the context of federal efforts to recognize the best, considering relatively systematic approaches to recognition and the five vulnerable evaluation areas of (1) undefined universes; (2) noncomparable goals; (3) identifying reproducible conditions; (4) saturation; and (5)…

After describing inadequacies of current U.S. Department of Education funding strategies in identifying and sharing the best of research and development, this article outlines an alternative vision centered on using evaluation to guide replication. How to overcome constraints in implementing this vision for federal education leadership is…

Two approaches for identifying, evaluating, and disseminating materials are discussed. One is the National Diffusion Network and its Program Effectiveness Panel, and the other is the Committee on Education and Human Resources, a new interagency effort with potential for examining a large body of generally underutilized mathematics and science…

This article describes six service features honoring diversity in early childhood special education (ECSE) programs as identified and piloted in the 3-year federally funded demonstration program, CROSSROADS. CROSSROADS provided technical assistance to ECSE programs with children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Examples…

The authors outline how the University College (UC) model can serve as an effective vehicle for others.