The Statewide Systems Change Project for the Severely Handicapped was a federally funded project established to develop activities to improve the quality of special education and related services for learners with severe handicaps and to encourage a change in service delivery from segregated to integrated environments. The project identified best…

Data from a national survey of principals in public schools with a 7th grade were used in this study of schools that serve disadvantaged, advantaged, and other populations. Differences in the schools' course-taking opportunities, organizational structures, extracurricular programs, remedial activities, instructional approaches, staffing needs, and…

The National Longitudinal Transition Study of Special Education Students (NLTS) was Congressionally mandated to provide information regarding the transition of youth with disabilities from secondary school to early adulthood. Data were collected for more than 8,000 special education students, ages 13-21. The study design involved a survey of…

The need to provide elementary school teachers with effective parent involvement strategies for hard-to-reach parents was addressed by designing an inservice for teachers which presented research-based strategies. Strategies included using a positive, non-threatening approach, employing personal, two-way communication, providing guidance and…

A study was conducted to assess the extent to which instructional technology has been adopted in secondary programs of agricultural education in the United States. Teachers from 479 secondary agriculture programs were randomly selected to provide responses to a mailed survey instrument requesting information about types and quantity of equipment,…

This case study was prepared in conjunction with a Unesco survey of its member states concerning educational services for individuals with handicaps. The report discusses Yugoslavia's special education policy, legislation, administration and organization, special educational provision, finance, research and development, voluntary organizations,…

Foreign students make up an important, and growing, segment of higher education in the United States. Reasons why foreign students come to the United States to study include the following: (1) the United States offers a serious approach to higher education in which students receive appropriate training and generally are able to complete the…

The five chapters of this book discuss children's development and learning. Chapter 1, by Barbara Z. Presseisen, raises fundamental questions about schooling and learning. Chapter 2, by Robert J. Sternberg, presents a theory of intellectual styles and discusses its relevance for education. The theory concerns the ways in which people use their…

In view of the importance of recognizing and documenting the prior learning of adult students returning to higher education, a project was undertaken to research, construct a system, and write materials for use in assessing the experiential learning acquired by students seeking access to higher education. An extensive research effort was…

A number of issues in the reading curriculum need studying, analyzing, and synthesizing. Among them is the emphasis on definite scope and sequence in phonics versus individualized reading. A second issue in the teaching of reading involves the use of precise, measurably stated objectives versus flexible, general goals. A related issue involves…

The Dissemination Efforts Supporting School Improvement (DESSI) study examined the adoption or development and implementation in 146 schools in 10 states of 61 practices that were part of 4 federal or state programs. Local schools in the study sample were asked to identify those individuals (facilitators) who had helped them with a particular new…

The following papers are included: "Setting the Scene" (Brian Peace); "Different Training for Different Adult Educators?" (Michael Newman); "The Training of Part-Time Teachers in Adult Education: The UK Experience" (Brian Graham); "Adult Education Tutor Support" (Aileen Kelly); "Six Category…

A comparative investigation of the place of the sixth grade in public education used a shadow study technique to address three questions: (1) What is a sixth grader's day in school like? (2) In what ways do programs provided for sixth graders differ, depending on where the grade is located in the school system? (3) How does what is known of the…

Criteria for determining quality in continuing education at the college level are addressed. After considering conceptual and practical difficulties to assuring quality in continuing higher education (CHE), the background characteristics, capabilities, and performance of adult learners and traditional college students are compared. The following…

This one-page abstract describes a report titled "Microcomputers in Special Education: Beyond Drill and Practice" by Susan Russell, which focuses on a project that created a consortium to promote research, training, and dissemination in learner-centered software for elementary and middle-school students with learning disabilities and…