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)

Guidelines are presented for special educators designing a parent training program. The article includes a sample training format, a comparison of seven commercial parent training programs, and the identification of "best practices" in parent training (e.g., "group parents based on common need" and "establish clear goals"). (DB)

Describes personal experiences of two American teachers who were evacuated from Beijing Foreign Studies University three days after the massacre of students and workers in Tiananmen Square. The Chinese system of education is described, library education is briefly discussed, and student attitudes and interests are examined. (LRW)

This study assessed the judgments of 131 preschool special education teachers on the acceptability, feasibility, and current use of child-specific, peer-mediated, and environmental arrangement intervention strategies for promoting social interaction skills of young children with disabilities. Teachers found all three types of interventions…

Explores the depth of the impact which networked, digital technologies are having on the global information environment and calls for the development of new curricula appropriate to that new world. Raises questions regarding the kinds of knowledge that are required by students entering the 21st century to help educators avoid using new digital…

Reviews some basic tenets for educational practice and considers current trends and possible future directions for higher education. Examines the Western Governor's University, a consortium of private and state-supported institutions, along with issues raised by the emergence of business-oriented university systems. Considers design and…