This paper explores changes needed in the focus and commitment of educational research to better reflect issues relevant to rural schools and their communities. Historically, educational researchers have focused on national or cosmopolitan concerns in efforts to develop widely applicable procedures for school improvement. However, improving rural…

This book is designed to provide educators with comprehensive information about special education law, especially the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Chapter 1 briefly reviews the history of special education. In Chapter 2 the specific rights of students to special education and related services are detailed. Chapter 3 outlines…

Utilizing a consensus decision-making strategy, teachers and an administrator from Parkway Central Middle School (PCMS) (Missouri) selected a two-part mission: (1) to establish an atmosphere where students demonstrate respect for themselves, their peers, and all adults; and (2) to evaluate, revise, develop, and implement a new discipline plan that…

This final report describes a project that prepared 28 integration/support facilitators to work with school district personnel to plan and implement systems change to result in integrated service models for learners with moderate and severe disabilities within their local home schools. The project offered a 30 to 36 credit hour post-Master's…

Communication strategies needed for the specific responsibilities of college and university department heads are presented. Each chapter first describes communication strategies useful in handling an administrative task, and then uses real-life case studies to demonstrate their applications in typical situations. Readers are guided through a…

Urban Head Start graduates were compared with comparably poor Pre-K graduates in this longitudinal study, in an effort to evaluate the long-term effects of the Head Start program. A sample of 227 children were included in an analysis of third-grade report cards, standardized Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS) achievement scores, and a…

This report, mandated by Ohio's 119th General Assembly, examines the fairness and appropriateness of the state's ninth-grade proficiency test. Under the assumption that it is indeed fair and appropriate to have a single, statewide graduation standard for all students, the study focuses on the issue of whether the test, as developed and…

This report documents five objectives for the Canadian post-secondary education system: (1) quality; (2) access for all qualified applicants; (3) differentiation (diversity of educational opportunity); (4) accountability; and (5) responsiveness to changing student and labor market requirements. The report also discusses the changing political…

This book presents an interdisciplinary chronological perspective on the history of children considered exceptional and how services to them have evolved over time. It begins by placing the origins of special education in historical context from Aristotle through the Enlightenment and beyond. Subsequent chapters consider individual conditions…

This book presents 24 papers dealing with learning theory and its application at the postsecondary level, many stemming from the ideas of Robert Sternberg and Howard Gardner. Articles include: (1) "Introduction" (Richard Kelder); (2) "Teaching Variability in Problem Solving" (Patricia D. Stokes); (3) "Cognitive Theory and…

A pilot survey of 16 students at the University of South Carolina from across four disability categories evaluated the range of services and adaptive equipment necessary to meet disabled students' needs in an academic library setting. Disability categories represented were: (1) learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders, (2) mobility…

This book is primarily designed for graduate courses in curriculum development and theory, and aims to assist practitioners in facilitating the shift in public school curriculum to accommodate large-scale trends toward a more culturally diverse society. In Part 1, the ideologies and values that form the basis of school practices are examined from…

This module is part of a set of management and supervisor training (MAST) materials developed by the Department of Energy for the Waste Isolation Division. Its stated purpose is to enable trainees to solve problems and make decisions in an efficient and effective manner. The first section of the module is an introduction that includes a terminal…

This curriculum is designed to increase middle level students' understanding of positive leadership through ethical decision making, and to help them apply knowledge learned to realistic situations. The program objectives are to: (1) provide students with an understanding of the characteristics needed for positive leadership; (2) provide…

This unit presents students with dilemmas faced by U.S. policymakers with three distinct options for U.S. policy toward Japan. Background readings provide students with information on the U.S. decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan in 1945. By exploring a spectrum of alternatives, students gain a deeper understanding of the values underlying…