This article describes the current public policy environment and the impact of that environment on efforts to refine the system for serving mildly handicapped students. The authors discuss the accelerated growth in the numbers of mildly handicapped children, which has prompted educational decision makers to seek more effective methods of assessment, identification, and instruction. Specific areas requiring attention and response are detailed, including revisions in the service delivery system, the preparation of personnel, the administration of program and funding structures, and the management and use of existing national and state data bases.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AbramsonM.WilsonV.YoshidaR. K., & HagertyG. (1983). Parent's perceptions of their learning disabled child's educational performance. Learning Disability Quarterly, 6(2), 184–194.
2.
AlgozzineR.SalviaJ., & YsseldykeJ. E. (1983). Who should teach the difficult to teach students?Educators Forum, 3(1), 37–39.
3.
BloomerR.BatesH.BrownS., & NorlanderK. (1982). Mainstreaming in Vermont: A study of the identification process. Livonia, NY: Brador Publications.
4.
ChalfantJ. (1984). Identifying learning disabled students: Guidelines for decision making. Burlington, VT: Northeast Regional Resource Center (NERRC).
5.
General Accounting Office. (1981). Disparities still exist in who gets special education. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
6.
GerberM. (1984). Is Congress getting the full story?Exceptional Children, 51(3), 209–224.
7.
GlassG. (1983). Effectiveness of special education. Policy Studies Review, 2(1), 65–78.
8.
HagertyG.BehrensT., & AbramsonM. (1983). Fostering an agenda of shared responsibility in teacher education (pp 11–25). In SharpB. (Ed.), Challenge and change in teacher education. Washington, DC: AACTE Publications.
9.
HershR., & WalkerH. (1983). Great expectations: Making schools effective for all students. Policy Studies Review, 2(1), 147–188.
10.
HoweC., & KeeleL. (1982). Responsibility for the mildly handicapped: A proposal for change. The Executive Review, 2(6), 27–32.
11.
KakalikJ. S.FurryW. S.ThomasM. A., & CarneyM. F. (1981). The cost of special education. Santa Monica, CA: The Rand Corporation. Sponsored under Contract No. 300-79-0733 (USDE).
12.
KennedyM. (1982). Report of the Division H Task Force on Special Education Evaluation. American Educational Research Association. Washington, DC: ERIC Clearinghouse.
13.
LittleJ. W. (1982). Collegiality and improvement norms: The school as workplace. American Educational Research Journal, 19, 197–203.
14.
PugachM., & LillyM. S. (1984). Reconceptualizing support services for classroom teachers: Implications for teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 35(5), 48–55.
15.
ShepardL. (1983). The role of measurement in educational policy: Lessons from the identification of learning disabilities. Educational Measurement: Issue and Practices, 2(1), 4–8.
16.
ShepardL., & SmithM. (1981). Evaluation of the identification of perceptual communicative disorders in Colorado (Final Report). Boulder, CO: University of Colorado.
17.
SontagE.HagertyG., & ButtonJ. (1983). Perspectives on the status and future of special education and regular education (pp 65–73). In ReynoldsM. C. (Ed.), The future of mainstreaming. Washington, DC: AACTE Publications.
18.
StainbackW., & StainbackS. (1984). A rationale for the merger of special and regular education. Exceptional Children, 51(2), 102–111.
19.
U.S. Department of Education. (1984). 1984 annual report to Congress on the implementation of the Education of the Handicapped Act. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
20.
U.S. Department of Education. (1985). 1985 annual report to Congress on the implementation of the Education of the Handicapped Act. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
21.
U.S. Government. (1984). Code of federal regulations: Parts 300 to 399, revised as of July, 1984. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
22.
WangM., & ReynoldsM. (1985). Avoiding the “Catch 22” in special education reform. Exceptional Children, 51, 497–502.
23.
WilsonV. L., & ReynoldsC. (1984). Another look at evaluating aptitude, achievement discrepancies in the diagnosis of LD. Journal of Special Education, 18(4), 217–236.
