An approach to the diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorders is presented that considers the difficulties in relationships and communication secondary to sensory and motor processing deficits. These difficulties are conceptualized as Multisystem Developmental Disorder (MSDD), and case vignettes illustrate typical patterns of MSDD and…

Developmental and criterion reading and writing measures were administered to 300 primary-level students, revealing that elimination of IQ in the definition of learning disabilities would dramatically affect who is identified as learning disabled. A two-stage assessment model analyzing absolute criteria without IQ and relative criteria with IQ is…

Argues for the establishment of "African-centered" schools on an experimental basis, in direct consultation and partnership with students, educators, administrators, and the local community. Maintains that most mainstream public schools reinforce concepts and values of the dominant culture and alienate students of color. (MJP)

A university-public school cooperative project (Project STREAM) in Wisconsin has been identifying sixth-grade minority students with potential for postsecondary education and providing them with systematic attention through middle and senior high school. Teachers and students have identified eight strategies as being particularly effective in the…

The chairman of the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (Australia) discusses the struggle to establish adequate child welfare services and education for aboriginal families and their children. Aboriginal people have resisted acculturation and the influence of racism to preserve their culture, identity, and extended…

This article describes the current status of biracial youth in the United States to enhance readers' awareness of the increasing numerical significance of this population and the problems and issues they face, especially in identity development. Examples of biracial-specific strategies and interventions are offered for consideration by helping…

Results are presented of a national survey of state policies regarding identification of gifted students from special populations (culturally diverse families, economic disadvantagement, or gifted students with disabilities). Also considered is a followup study on the implementation of state policies in Ohio, Arkansas, and Texas. Future policy…

This article offers the viewpoint of a local educational authority officer concerning the British Code of Practice (1994), which provides standards for the legal statement, review, and reassessment processes for students with special educational needs. Positive and negative implications, as well as the historical and administrative context, are…

Young children from five ethnic groups completed surveys about self-concept, self-esteem, racial awareness, and knowledge of racial terms, attitudes, and preference. Anglo-American children had a viable self-concept. Most children were highly aware of distinct ethnic differences and liked all colors. Most minority children chose friends outside…

Assesses the ability of elementary school teachers to identify at-risk students using three prominent indicators. Summarizes the reasons teachers give for identifying a student as at risk. Concludes that teachers are moderately accurate estimators of students' likelihood of being academically at risk. (Author/BB)

A racial identity development model for African-American and white college students is presented. It consists of five developmental stages (naive, acceptance, resistance, redefinition, internalization) and separate descriptions of the nature of each stage for African Americans and whites. Implications for teaching and administration are discussed.…

Examines the power of dominant discourses of gender to trap children within conventional meanings and modes of being. Presents findings of a study of children's reactions to feminist fairy tales. Concludes that patterns of desire reflected in preferred storylines give substance to inequitable social structures. (DK)

Examines community forces underlying the educational problems of African Americans and other voluntary and involuntary minorities. Community forces differentiate minority groups facing similar barriers in society and in schools. Options created by community forces allow choices of action that result in individual differences in schooling outcome.…

Argues that the strategic differentiation between education and schooling is fundamental to the maintenance and development of an African-American cultural orientation and ideology. A conceptual model is presented to link schooling with perpetuation of existing relations of power and political culture in the United States. (SLD)

This study found that a linear discriminant function was able, with 73 percent accuracy, to distinguish between learning-disabled dropouts (n=213) and learning-disabled graduates (n=92). The discriminant function was composed of six variables--student ethnicity, reading ability, family intactness, family socioeconomic status, school transfers, and…