(1995). Goals 2000: Impacting Students with Disabilities Policy Forum Report. Final Report. This document reports on the design, purpose, implementation, and outcomes of an October 1994 policy forum on the impact of the Goals 2000 program on students with disabilities. Conclusions and recommendations of the forum identified 31 critical activities grouped into six major strategies to ensure the inclusion of students with disabilities in Goals 2000 initiatives. These strategies are: (1) define and implement accountability; (2) improve teaching and learning; (3) use Goals 2000 as the umbrella for reform; (4) build local trust, involvement, and commitment; (5) build leadership; and (6) offer unified, integrated technical assistance. In addition, 17 barriers were identified and grouped into the following key obstacles: a rigid, traditional special education paradigm; fear and mistrust among stakeholders; unresolved tension between excellence and equity; pervasive public distrust/discounting of public education; legacy of fragmented, additive reform efforts; complacency/caution… [PDF]
(1995). All Means All: Including Students from Special Populations in School to Work Programs. This resource guide assists Wisconsin educators in successfully including students with disabilities in school-to-work activities with appropriate support services. Section 1 provides an overview of the School to Work Opportunities Act and Wisconsin's state plan for developing a comprehensive school-to-work system integrated with federal efforts such as the Goals 2000 program and the Educate America Act. Section 2 provides information on special populations including legal definitions from various major federal laws and transition follow-up data from national and Wisconsin sources. Section 3 considers strategies for inclusion and covers vocational assessment practices, educational accommodations, vocational education provisions, and gender equity. Section 4 focuses on linking school-to-work efforts with existing human resources in a variety of related programs in Wisconsin. Section 5 reviews legislation and court litigation related to school-to-work program accessibility such as the… [PDF]
(1999). School Size, Socioeconomic Status, and Achievement: A Georgia Replication of Inequity in Education. Recent research in West Virginia and California has linked school size to both effectiveness and equity, finding that as school size increased, the mean achievement costs for schools with less-advantaged students became more burdensome. An effort was undertaken to replicate this research in four states offering a variety of school settings and conditions. This report describes analysis of 1996-97 data from 1,626 Georgia schools using a multiple regression equation in which the dependent variable was mean achievement test score and independent variables were school size (enrollment per grade level being analyzed), percent of enrollment eligible for free or reduced-cost lunch, and a multiplicative interaction term. Various test scores were analyzed for grades 3, 5, 8, and 11. In 27 of 29 analyses, statistically significant and negative interaction effects were found, such that achievement in schools with less advantaged students decreased as school size increased. Inclusion of two… [PDF]
(1974). A Selected Bibliography for Public Administrators in Minority Settings. Exchange Bibliography, 698. Black, native, and Spanish speaking Americans are the three main minorities mostly considered in this selected bibliography. The fourth minority included herein is women. The concepts and philosophies of the \new public administration\ are evident throughout this bibliography. The overall tenor is one of a humanistic approach to the practice of public administration. It alludes to a very sensitive, clinical, and compassionate delivery of services to the constituent publics. It speaks heartily to \equity\ and \distributive justice.\ Moreover, there are several citations related to \citizen participation.\ The inclusion of a subsection of films, filmstrips, tapes, records, games and other media is provided as a resource to practicing public administrators in minority settings. These multi-media supports have proven their usefulness, time and time again in multiple settings. In addition to the theoretical, then, such aids add a stark, practical, and pragnatic dimension to this brief…
(2008). Detracking in Context: How Local Constructions of Ability Complicate Equity-Geared Reform. Teachers College Record, v110 n3 p646-699. Background/Context: Recent sociocultural studies of detracking describe the ways in which notions of ability–local understandings of students' intellectual capacities–are at play in these settings, shaping both the politics and the practice of the reform. This study extends this examination into the classrooms of detracking schools. Purpose: This article considers the enactment of detracking in the ninth grade social studies classrooms of three public high schools. Through a detailed look at classroom life in racially and socioeconomically distinct public high school settings, it explores how local notions of ability shape the implementation of classroom practices in general and of detracking reform in particular. Setting: The research took place in three public comprehensive high schools in a northeastern state with the following characteristics: 1) low income and predominantly African American and Latino; 2) high income and predominantly White; 3) socioeconomically diverse and… [Direct]
(1997). Major Trends and Issues in Early Childhood Education: Challenges, Controversies, and Insights. Noting that understanding the contexts, continuities, and controversies of early childhood education is a particularly challenging task because of the diversity of the field, this book provides a critical examination of the issues and controversies surrounding early childhood practices, policies, and professional development. The book's chapters are divided into three sections, examining the social, political, and historical trends and issues affecting young people; curricular trends and issues affecting practice; and trends and issues affecting teacher preparation and professional development. The chapters are: (1) "Policies of the Early Childhood Field and Its Public: Seeking To Support Young Children and Their Families" (Stacie Goffin and others); (2) "Development Issues Affecting Children" (Joan Isenberg with David Brown); (3) "Valuing Cultural Diversity in the Early Years: Social Imperatives and Pedagogical Insights" (Marilyn Chipman); (4)…
(2007). Exploring Education Systems: Towards a Typology for Future Learning?. Educational Research, v49 n4 p329-341 Dec. Background: In recent years there has been increasing interest in creating diversity of educational provision to meet the full range of needs presented by learners. This is both a reflection, and a partial consequence, of the three central agendas for schooling in many countries–standards, choice and inclusion, and the growth in information communication technologies and associated systems. The complexity of available \school\ types makes it increasingly difficult for individuals to explore the differences between the educational programmes on offer. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to map the different forms of provision into a typology that will provide theorists, practitioners, users and policy-makers with a clear set of descriptors to explore current structures and to consider future developments. Nine types of education programme are categorized. Theoretical origins: The paper takes the three distinct alternative education types, identified by Raywid, as a starting-point… [Direct]
(1996). Early Intervention for Young Children at Risk for Emotional/Behavioral Disorders: Implications for Policy and Practice. From the Mini-Library Series on Emotional/Behavioral Disorders. This monograph is intended to encourage policy formation and appropriate interventions for young children with emotional/behavioral disorders (E/BD). After an introductory chapter, the second chapter analyzes policy within the areas of both behavioral disorders and early intervention, including existing labels and eligibility criteria, reluctance to deal with the category of \serious emotional disturbance,\ the movement toward increased inclusion and diversity, the status of the medical model, and curriculum advancements. The third chapter discusses current assessment and intervention strategies and trends, including prevention and early intervention, family-centered practices, specialized personnel, and differentiated interventions. The fourth chapter presents a model technical assistance program which stresses the importance of home-school-community collaborative planning efforts. It also identifies trends in intervention approaches including classroom-based intervention, parent…
(1999). A Core Curriculum & Training Program To Prepare Paraeducators To Work in Center & Home Based Programs for Young Children with Disabilities from Birth to Age Five. Second Edition. These instructional materials are designed to provide personnel developers and trainers with resources that can be used to improve the performance of paraeducators working in center-based and home visitor programs for young children with disabilities from birth to age 5. The modules cover: (1) strengthening the instructional team, the roles of paraeducators working in inclusive environments for young children, and communication and problem solving; (2) human and legal rights of children with disabilities and their families; (3) principles of human development and factors that may impede typical human development; (4) the instructional process (individualized education and family services plans, assessment, data collection, goals and objectives, instructional interventions, and facilitating inclusion using developmentally appropriate activities); (5) working with families; (6) appreciating diversity; and (7) emergency, health, and safety procedures. The format for the instructional… [PDF]
(1999). Resource Guide: Selected Early Childhood/Early Intervention Training Materials. 8th Edition. This resource guide is intended to identify both primary and supplementary resources for designing preservice and inservice training on early intervention programs for children with disabilities. The instructional materials are described and listed in three sections. The first section provides annotated descriptions of instructional materials in 14 early childhood content areas including assistive technology, cultural diversity, early care and development, evaluation/assessment, family-professional collaboration, Individualized Family Service Plan/Individualized Education Program, inclusion, interagency collaboration, legislation, service coordination, specific populations, state planning and resource development, teams, and transitions. Section 2 describes resources on the instructional process including family participation and personnel preparation and development. Section 3 lists additional resources such as curriculum guides and multiple content resources. Each of the sections… [PDF]
(1997). Do Private Schools Serve Difficult-To-Educate Students? Analysis and Michigan Case Studies of How Nongovernment Schools Educate Disabled, At-Risk, and Incarcerated Youth. A Mackinac Center Report. Though conventional public schools enroll the vast majority of difficult-to-educate students, many such students who are not accepted by public schools end up at private schools. This report describes the role of private institutions in educating these students, incorporating case studies and analyzing various institutional arrangements. Part 1 introduces the subject; describes private programs (special education programs for students with disabilities, education for at-risk students, and education for incarcerated youth); and discusses alternative arrangements (charter schools, full inclusion, and cooperative agreements). Part 2 focuses on program analysis (performance measures, financial accountability, and student access) and policy issues (cost drivers, implications for school choice, and private schools, special education, and the courts). Part 3 looks at case studies of six Michigan facilities to indicate the diversity and capability of Michigan's nongovernment providers of… [PDF]
(1994). Career and Employment Counselling in Canada. Concerned with the availability of vocational counseling services in Canada, this report offers definitive information on career and employment counseling offered by educational institutions, social agencies, and Canada Employment Centres. After extensive consultation and field testing, questionnaires were developed to cover the following areas: characteristics of the communities, agencies, clients, and counselors; the nature of counseling services; and administrative practices. Investigators mailed three survey instruments to counselors, supervisors/managers, and funding agencies in over 145 municipalities across Canada. A total of 1,475 questionnaires were returned in time for inclusion in this analysis. Results included information about employment/career/vocational counseling services available to youth and adults through Employment and Immigration Canada, from community-based groups, through the educational system, and from social services. Nine key issues arose from the study:… [PDF]
(2004). Researching and Learning Mathematics at the Margin: from "Shelter" to School. International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, 28th, Bergen, Norway, July 14-18,. I draw attention to the mathematics education of that group of learners who are usually on the margins of society and also on the margins of mathematics education research, theory and practice. These are children who for various reasons have left home, eke out a living on the streets of a city–referred to as "street children", and are often placed in "shelters" and "homes" (Chetty, 1997). I refer to research conducted related to providing mathematics education for such learners, to address firstly, the question of how such children come to engage particular experiences of mathematics education and secondly, the challenges and consequences of doing such research. The story I tell to respond to the theme of this panel–working for inclusion and diversity in mathematics education–is that of Nellie and Wiseman as researched and documented by Sheena Rughubar (2003), but I also reflect on broader issues of doing research and its processes and relations that… [PDF]
(1985). Research and Data Needs for Small/Rural Schools. Information available on rural education remains startlingly inadequate–partly because of the great diversity of rural areas, because agencies responsible for data collection disagree on the definition of small/rural schools, and because large metropolitan schools have received far more than their share of attention, research, and financial support. Not until 1983 did the Department of Education announce a policy that would provide rural education with an equitable share of the Department's resources. In the redesign of the elementary and secondary data program conducted by the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), the Rural Education Association strongly encourages the inclusion of small/rural schools as a specific category in data collection and reporting and recommends that NCES break down the data based on school districts of fewer than 300, 300-999, 1,000-2,500, and more than 2,500 students. This classification would more accurately reflect rural, suburban, and…
(2005). Diversity and Motivation in the Middle School: Reaching All Students. National Middle School Association (NJ3), Middle Ground v9 n1 p20-21 Aug. Educators across America face an enormous and growing challenge: motivating a diverse student population. The growing trend toward inclusion increases diversity by including special-needs students in the same classroom with regular education students. The increase in the number of students who do not speak English puts a huge responsibility on teachers. And, the requirements of No Child Left Behind expect that all children will succeed. Educators must motivate the at-risk population as well: students labeled as the gray area, difficult-to-motivate, slow learners, and children with untapped potential. In this article, the author shares some of the strategies he recommends for motivating students to put forth an honest effort to reach their potential. He suggests that teachers see themselves as facilitators, teach by expression, change pace frequently, provide compelling and stimulating problems, make learning fun, and build and maintain a classroom community. By following these… [Direct]