Discusses a survey administered to 306 students at a New York community college that investigated loneliness, communication apprehension, communication competence, and locus of control as predictors of persistence in telecourses. Analysis found withdrawal and withdrawal/failure in telecourses were not significantly related to the variables. (52…

Societal forces influencing special education today include expectations of programs for exceptional children, the consequence of fear of being accused of ethnic or social discrimination in placing students in special education, special education as an entry to services, the philosophy of full inclusion, and issues of power and influence in…

A peer intervention program to improve communicative interaction and social integration of preschoolers with moderate developmental disabilities is described. Children without disabilities are taught facilitative strategies which are not particularly intrusive and do not obligate responses by the disabled child. The facilitative strategies…

Although many school districts are integrated, integration has not had the anticipated effect on minority achievement promised by "Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas." The article discusses the positive effects of aggressive strategies for minority students, and it suggests shifting the burden of social integration to the…

Factor analysis of 65 variables relating to personal competence and community adjustment in 336 persons with mental retardation, living in residential facilities of 6 or fewer residents, yielded 8 principal components that accounted for approximately half the total variance. Components included such skill areas as self-care skills, problem…

Describes a 12-unit teacher-developed secondary education program that seeks to reverse the common bias against gays through information, support groups, and school-community programs. Describes the program's success in a Cambridge (Massachusetts) school. Provides teaching tips for addressing sexuality and a list of resources. (JB)

The use of naturalistic teaching procedures in developmentally appropriate early childhood settings was evaluated in two single subject studies. Acquisition and maintenance of skills within developmentally appropriate play contexts were demonstrated by a preschooler with Down's syndrome and one with mild developmental delay. (DB)

Explores the prospects and implications of university-based conflict-resolution (CR) efforts. The author makes a case for the proactive as well as the responsive nature of CR efforts in urban areas and asserts that intended and unintended social changes can result from university CR programs. University-based CR programs have effects on the…

The cult of ethnicity in general and the Afrocentric campaign in particular do not bode well for U.S. education or for the future of the country. The debate over ethnocentric curricula is traced. Commentaries by R. Walters and D. D'Souza elaborate on issues of multicultural education. (SLD)

A prototype interactive videodisc system was created with the objectives of teaching signed communication skills to hearing associates of deaf children and language patterns to deaf children. This paper reviews the applications of computer technology in deaf education, the self-instructional capabilities of interactive videodisc systems, and…

Shows that despite moves during the 1840s in England to use teacher training to raise working-class members into the lower levels of white-collar society, elementary teaching was dominated by the lower middle class. Provides evidence from a sample of pupil teachers in Birmingham during the years 1850 through 1900. (DSK)

Examines the development and implementation of the Minority Language and Culture Teaching (MLCT) model in the Netherlands. MLCT allows non-indigenous pupils to receive instruction in the language of their country of origin for a limited time during their regular Dutch education. Outlines various theoretical arguments for and against the program.…

Analyzed the effect of social integration on academic performance among Mexican American, black, and Native American students at a large, southwestern public university. Formal social integration--participation in student organizations and faculty contact--has a much greater impact on academic performance than does informal social integration.…

Analysis of data gathered on 11 young people with disabilities concerning the transition from school to adult life revealed eight main themes, such as lack of inclusive educational practices, hastily and poorly coordinated transition planning, restrictive views on employment and community living opportunities, low levels of family participation,…

An inclusive kindergarten class of students with and without hearing impairments is described. The "Education Together" program used total communication, a combination of whole language and basal instruction, behavior management techniques, and extensive teacher collaboration. Issues such as communication problems, discipline,…