Exceptional Children

This article reports the partial findings of a statewide survey of high school special education programs for students with mild disabilities. The focus of this article is on the curriculum. Three sources of information were tapped for this study: (a) special education administrators, (b) high school special education teachers, and (c) parents of high school students with mild disabilities. The return rates were very high: 91%, 89%, and 45% of the three groups, respectively. Four basic topics concerning the curriculum were investigated: (a) its focus and content, (b) discrepancies between availability and utilization, (c) barriers to mainstreaming, and (d) conditions required for improvement. Both data and recommendations with respect to these topics are presented.

This article reports the partial findings from a statewide study of Oregon's secondary special education programs for students with mild disabilities. The focus of this article is on the current status and satisfactoriness of districts' transition services. Subjects included the population of LEA administrators and teachers, and a stratified random sample of parents of students with mild disabilities. Results indicated that (a) very few districts were using written interagency agreements or providing other incentives to secure the involvement of community agencies; (b) there were considerable discrepancies between administrators and teachers over who was responsible for transition planning; (c) teachers wanted more and better parent involvement in all levels of the school program; and (d) follow-up of previous students was rare. Findings were compared with those of other recent research and several key elements that should be targeted for improvement are discussed.

There is growing controversy and dissatisfaction surrounding the pervasive use of psychoeducational testing in special education evaluation and placement. Validity, reliability, cultural bias, and the fostering of a dual system of education—regular and special—are all deficits of this testing, especially in light of the regulations of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. This article examines the legal problems associated with standardized testing instruments and their use and the legal imperative for using curriculum-based measures in special education evaluation systems.

We examined the risk of disability identification associated with individual and school variables. The sample included 18,000 students in 39 schools of an urban K-12 school system. Descriptive analysis showed racial minority risk varied across 7 disability categories, with males and students from low-income backgrounds at highest risk in most disability categories. Multilevel analyses showed that school variables were not generally significant predictors of student risk for identification. The most consistent predictors of identification across the categories were students' gender, race, socioeconomic status, and number of suspensions. We provide implications for future studies of disparities in special education, as well as practice related to identification and systemic monitoring.

In a large-scale study performed in Germany, 317 parents were asked to complete both the Parenting Stress Index and an additional questionnaire on demographics and related information. This article explores the question of parenting stress for parents of children who are hearing impaired with additional disabilities. Results showed consistently high stress scores in the Child Domain, whereas the Parent Domain showed (apart from one score) only a slight tendency toward greater stress. These results realistically portray the situation of parents of children who are multiply disabled and hearing impaired The results suggest that these parents should be provided with extended psychosocial intervention.

The purposes of this study were to assess the effects of fractions intervention for students who are at risk for poor outcomes and to examine whether a component that combines self-regulated learning with growth-mindset instruction (SR-GM) provides added value for improving outcomes. At-risk students ( N = 84) were randomly assigned to three conditions: fractions intervention, fractions intervention with embedded SR-GM, and a control group. Intervention was conducted three times per week for 35 min per session for 13 weeks. Multilevel models indicated both fractions intervention conditions produced strong effects, with no added value for SR-GM. Posttest fractions achievement gaps for both intervention conditions held steady, narrowed, or closed, whereas the control group’s gaps remained sizeable or grew. Results suggest that intervention can address challenging mathematics standards for at-risk learners and that SR-GM instruction may not be necessary in the context of strong intervention.

The purpose of this study was to examine the current status and relevant history of the 1964–1968 Presidential Scholars, who were chosen on the basis of outstanding scores on the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, the recommendation of school officials, and an autobiographical statement. A total of 172 males and 150 females responded to a 41-item questionnaire. The results indicate a high degree of postsecondary school achievement in academic accomplishments and job status and low incidence of awards for career development.

The University of California, Irvine ADD Center recently conducted a synthesis of the literature on the use of stimulants with children with attention deficit disorder (ADD), using a unique “review of reviews” methodology. In this article, we compare three reviews from each of three review types (traditional, meta-analytic, general audience) and illustrate how coding variables can highlight sources of divergence. In general, divergent conclusions stemmed from variations in goal rather than from variations in the sources selected to review. Across quantitative reviews, the average effect size for symptomatic improvement (.83) was twice that for benefits on IQ and achievement measures (.35). A summary of what should and should not be expected of the use of stimulants with ADD children, derived from the literature synthesis, is provided.

Twenty-eight investigations were identified in which general education teachers were surveyed regarding their perceptions of including students with disabilities in their classes. Research synthesis procedures were employed to summarize responses and examine the consistency of responses across time, geographical location, and item type. Overall, we found that about two thirds of general classroom teachers supported the concept of mainstreaming/inclusion. A smaller majority were willing to include students with disabilities in their own classes, but responses appeared to vary according to disabling condition and implicit obligations on the teacher. Although about half or more of the teachers felt that mainstreaming/inclusion could provide some benefits, only one third or less of teachers believed they had sufficient time, skills, training or resources necessary for mainstreaming/inclusion. Reported attitudes did not appear to covary with either geographical region or time of publication. Implications for policy and practice are provided.

Dramatic incidents of school violence have thrust school discipline to the forefront of public consciousness. Despite a dramatic increase in the use of zero tolerance procedures and policies, there is little evidence demonstrating that these procedures have increased school safety or improved student behavior. Moreover, a punitive disciplinary climate may make any attempt to include more students with behavioral problems a cause for conflict between general and special educators. A preventive, early response disciplinary model increases the range of effective options for addressing violence and disruption across both general and special education. Ultimately, the effectiveness of any disciplinary system may be judged by the extent to which it teaches students to solve interpersonal and intrapersonal problems without resorting to disruption or violence.