This paper describes present learning environments for students with mild disabilities, especially instructional practices that thwart student motivation for learning. The Foxfire experiential approach to learning is then outlined, through discussion of 11 core practices that promote student involvement in instructional decision making and the…

Discusses 3 different categories of literacy programs discerned in observations of 37 kindergarten classrooms over an 8-year period: maturationist teachers, basal teachers, and emergent literacy teachers. Provides perceived rationales for the existence of these categories. (SR)

This article is organized into two parts: (1) a review of literature on teachers' grading practices, and (2) a discussion of the findings about teachers' grading practices in light of evaluation and motivation theory. The discussion considers both research implications and practical recommendations. (Author)

Describes current literacy practices in Australia and the history of influential approaches to literacy instruction. Discusses the unique contexts of professional development and practice that may make Australian approaches to literacy different from whole-language movements in American schools. (SR)

This paper addresses the transition of young children from preschool programs that provide special education services to kindergarten or alternative elementary school placements. The roles of the child, family, and service providers in transition preparation, planning, implementation, and evaluation are described. Components of successful…

The effects of educational practices emphasizing faculty control of the learning process on student effort to learn are explored. Research on student learning is summarized. Educational systems that do not acknowledge student management of their own effort will not succeed. (SLD)

This article explores the use of the categorical label of learning disabled for determining eligibility for preschool special education programs. Specific concerns include definitional issues, the dangers of labeling and low expectation sets, failure to demonstrate movement through a continuum of services, and the efficacy of early intervention.…

This paper examines issues related to preparing teachers to instruct students with severe disabilities, focusing on the values that drive best practices, the content knowledge that should exist within teacher training programs, and processes that may impart and support the continued application of both values and knowledge. (Author/JDD)

Introduces this new journal and highlights the six papers included in the first issue of the journal. (BB)

This article reviews five categories of critical characteristics of high-quality secondary-level vocational instruction programs that increase the likelihood that students with severe disabilities will obtain paid community employment upon graduation. Categories include location of instruction, curriculum, instructional strategies, transition…

Describes 1991 site visits by British educational administrators of early childhood educational institutions in Delhi and Bombay, India. Discusses philosophies and practices witnessed at a national center providing preschool education and meals, a mobile day-care center for children of migrant workers, a preschool teacher training institute, and…

Areas crucial to the development of "state of the art" curricula for gifted students are discussed, including differentiation, emphasis on both process and content, interdisciplinary and individualized formats, balance between acceleration and enrichment, and comprehensive and articulated curriculum structure. (DB)

This article discusses educational services and programs provided by the New Mexico School for the Visually Handicapped. The school provides free appropriate education for children with visual impairments within an array of service models and environments, protects the rights of students with handicaps and their parents, and makes technical aids,…

The changing purposes of schools for children with visual impairments are analyzed in relation to their evolution, current practices, and future functions. It presents three models emphasizing the developing heterogeneity in orientation and services: the school as the resource center, the life-skills center, and the magnet school. (JDD)

This article describes activities of a federally sponsored project called Identifying Emerging Technologies for Students with Disabilities, and identifies trends in the areas of general technology, educational technology, national education initiatives, and educational practices. (DB)