Mainstream Educational Settings Research Articles

COLORADO'S RESPONSE TO THE BEHAVIOUR CHALLENGE

The USA is facing difficulties similar to those of the UK in attempting to deal with the increasing number of students who display disturbing behaviours in schools. Such students are creating complex challenges for those professionals who are working to maintain them within mainstream education settings. To encourage proactive approaches to such behaviour problems, the Federal Government has introduced recent amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Based on these directives, the State of Colorado is currently focusing on meeting the needs of its most challenging students through the introduction of positive behaviour intervention plans and functional assessment of behaviour.

Secondary School, Family, and Educational Risk: Comparing American Indian Adolescents and Their Peers

Adolescent self-reports of family connectedness, educational commitment, and education-related risktaking behavior were examined from a sample of over 6,000 public school students, with a focus on American Indians. Findings indicate that low family connectedness is associated with decreased educational commitment and an increased risk of absenteeism, substance use before and during school hours, and the purchase of alcohol or drugs on campus. American Indian youth report lower levels of connectedness to family and poorer educational performance than African American and Caucasian peers and engage in higher rates of risk taking. American Indian adolescents residing outside of the reservation may be vulnerable to increased familial stress and encounter cultural conflicts in mainstream educational settings.

Life in black America : edited by James S. Jackson Sage Publications (2455 Teller Road, Newbury Park, California 91320), 1991, 311 pp., softcover—$21.95

American Indians have the lowest educational attainment rates of any group in the United States. Researchers have attributed this educational disparity gap that American Indians experience to the lack of cultural relevance in mainstream educational settings. American Indian students perceive a cultural bias against them in classroom curriculum as well as pedagogical practices. While some states have passed legislation to support teaching about American Indians, no funding to support culturally relevant curriculum changes or teacher training accompany these measures. Successful American Indian college students learn how to develop a strong academic identity, while retaining strong cultural ties. A continuing educational gap in access to higher education, in a knowledge-based economy affects the socio-economic status of families and tribes. Incorporating tribal values into mainstream schools would not only educational connections for American Indian students, but can also enhance the learning environment for all students.

Vocabulary Intervention for Secondary-Level Youth

A research-translation project introduced a precision-teaching vocabulary intervention to 36 general and special education teachers through two workshops over a two-year period. (The teachers, in turn, introduced the approach to 694 students, 125 of whom were youth with learning disabilities). The goals of the project were threefold: (a) to determine if, after attending one-day training sessions, teachers were able to implement the vocabulary approach with their students; (b) to evaluate the degree to which the intervention influenced student performance, especially that of pupils with learning disabilities; and (c) to gather teacher and student reactions to the approach. Project outcomes revealed that (a) all but one teacher who received training implemented the approach and collected student performance data; (b) the majority of students, whether general or special education youth attending mainstream or special education settings, demonstrated increased accuracy and fluency on timed vocabulary quizzes; and (c) both teachers and students found the approach worthwhile and enjoyable.

Key Determinants of Motivation of Non-Traditional Aboriginal Students in School Settings: Recommendations for Educational Change

This research was designed to investigate culturally specific elements of non-traditional Aboriginal motivation. Among the aims of the research were to study: (a) the salient determinants of motivation of urban and rural non-traditional Aboriginal students in mainstream educational settings; (b) the relevant background factors that influence Aboriginal motivation in these settings; (c) the dynamics of decision making that orient the Aboriginal student to continue with school beyond the minimum school leaving age, and (d) ways in which education programs may be made more adaptive to the special needs of Aboriginal children. A consistent picture of the urban Aboriginal child at school emerged from the analyses. In contrast to the Anglo and migrant comparator groups, the explanatory base for the Aboriginal child's decision making within the school environment appears restricted to a small number of key variables.

Issues in Identification and Service Delivery for Students with Conduct Disorders: The “Nevada Solution”

Nevada has more than its share of social problems. Often people move to Nevada with the dream of getting rich quick, getting into the entertainment business, or finding easy jobs through the gaming or mining industries. What these people may find instead are low paying jobs with no security and few benefits, a boom or bust economy dependent on the price of copper, gold, and silver, rural isolation or the high cost of urban living, and few social services. Rural and urban communities are burdened with phenomenal growth rates, high transiency, and limited financial and human resources. These problems are reflected in statistics: Nevada is among the nation's leaders in population growth, teen pregnancy, high school dropouts, suicide, and alcoholism. It is not surprising that the social problems found in Nevada are also reflected in the schools. Histories of students with behavioral disorders often reveal poverty, family disinte gration, abuse, neglect, drug use, crime, and/or gang affiliation. These students present Nevada's schools with serious problems. Integral to an understanding of the procedures used in Nevada to differentiate and provide services to students with behavioral disorders is to realize that there are three Nevadas. Over half of the population of the state resides in Las Vegas's Clark County. The Clark County School District is the 20th largest in the United States and offers a comprehensive range of programing for students in special education including alternative education programs. It was largely this school district's problems with student crime, gang activity, and serious discipline problems that provided the impetus for a change in Nevada's definition of emotional handicaps. Nevada's second largest population center is 450 miles to the north. The largest of the several school districts in this area is Reno's Washoe County. While not able to match Clark County in numbers of programs, Washoe County School District provides a continuum of services for students with handicaps and has some alternative education settings. Washoe County also has the only conduct d/sorder programs specifically for elementary and middle school students meeting criteria for conduct disorders and ineligible for services as emo tionally handicapped. The third Nevada is made up of the 14 rural counties. These districts contain small towns and vast remote areas. It is not uncommon for neighboring towns to be 100 miles apart. In many schools, special education services are provided to all students by one teacher, regardless of the students' handicapping conditions. Few if any alternative programs exist for students found ineligible for special education. These districts, however, are often extremely flexible and creative in meeting the needs of individual students. In the past, students with serious behavior problems were often referred to special education and placed in programs for the handicapped. While removing these difficult pupils from the mainstream educational setting, this solution created problems of its own. E. J. Kelly has been a vocal proponent in Nevada for excluding students designated as conduct from special education services. Kelly (1988) catalogs problems of combined behaviorally disordered programs to include minimal therapeutic benefit and maximal intimidation and fear for both special class teachers and the legitimately handi capped . . . excusing or condoning of on-campus felonies through spurious 'handicapped' designations . . . soaring teacher burnout and attrition rates, etc. (p. 2). Although Kelly's position has found wide acceptance within Nevada, his conclusions are controversial and disputed by others in the field (e.g., Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders, 1987; Smith, Wood, & Grimes, 1988).

Mildly Handicapped Elementary Students' Opportunity to Learn during Reading Instruction in Mainstream and Special Education Settings

Mildly Handicapped Elementary Students' Opportunity to Learn during Reading Instruction in Mainstream and Special Education Settings