* Helps parents understand and support their gifted children with autism * Practical, engaging and accessibly written to make it easy for readers to pick up the key tips and tools * Is written by a professor of special education who is also a mother of a gifted child with high-functioning autism.

Citing developmental characteristics of each grade level, A Complete Guide to Rubrics presents examples and adaptations of assessment rubrics on a variety of subjects. It features examples of teacher-created rubrics, Internet resources, and additional chapters devoted to assessing technological topics, including blogging. This book will be of interest to all educators who are required to assess student performance.

Discusses how to make inclusive schooling a reality for students, as the overall content reflects the evolution of the field. This work explores the range of supports and structures that must be in place to guarantee all students become successful, contributing members of the community.

As a result of multiple unfavorable circumstances, public schools have been unable to effectively educate America's most disadvantaged student population_Latinos. In this book, author Leonard Valverde contends that it is imperative to reinvent schools in order to provide a viable education for these students. Improving Schools for Latinos starts with the past, points out the present, and speaks to the future. It exposes the negative mental models and practices that must be discarded and proposes what favorable elements need to be put into place. Features: _

Here is a rich ethnographic description of Amish education in 21st Century America that describes how literacy, community, and accountability are key values in the Amish educational system. The author gives readers a succinct overview of Amish history and religious practice, and then explores the reasons the Amish began their schools and some of the struggles they had to endure as a result. The book provides an emcompassing description of common teaching styles, curriculum, and textbooks, as well as detailed classroom glimpses of Amish schools throughout the United States and Canada.

The accelerating demographic and economic changes within our society, the deepening racial divide, and the elusive quest for equality and justice make multicultural education and understanding the culturally diverse student imperative in the 21st century. The gap between the rich and poor has widened, and visible signs of the racial crisis have become stark. Racial Bias in the Classroom: Can Teachers Reach All Children? includes a history of multicultural America and features discussions on the issues and perspectives of multicultural curriculum, language diversity, and proven teaching strategies invaluable for all teachers, parents, and students.

Teaching is most effective when certain general principles are followed; however, not all students are alike, and not all teaching methods are equally effective. Including a pre-test, post-test, and key vocabulary terms, Effective Instruction for Students With Special Needs presents the key components of highly effective instruction and the accommodations and modifications that should be made for special-needs students when: o Planning Instruction: deciding what and how to teach while communicating realistic expectations o Managing Instruction: preparing for instruction, using time productively, and creating a positive environment o Delivering Instruction: presenting content, monitoring student learning, and adjusting instruction o Evaluating Instruction: monitoring student understanding and engaged time, recording student progress, using data to make decisions, and making judgments about student performance For cases in which more than slight adaptations may be necessary, this helpful guide also highlights special instructional aids and specific teaching methods proven to enhance the success of students with special needs.

This book challenges the assumption that special schools are a second-best educational option for their pupils. It celebrates the success and importance of special schools within England and the support of local education authorities (LEAs) in maintaining them. Full of examples highlighting good practice, including the views of parents, pupils and ex-pupils who have all experienced a positive special school education, the book:

• clearly outlines the principles at the heart of the inclusion debate
• discusses the tension in schools between raising standards and being inclusive
• assesses the future role of special schools
• offers an alternative vision of 'optimal education' for each child.

Celebrating the Special School will be of interest to parents of children attending special schools or considering placement, LEA officers, special school staff, staff working in units for pupils with SEN and parents of these children.

The award-winning creators of Intensive Interaction bring this groundbreaking book up to date with new material covering inclusion and emotional literacy. The book also includes:

• a brand new section looking at the program's implementation in preschool settings
• the particular benefits of Intensive Interaction for children who have Autistic Spectrum Disorders
• a 'how to do it' chapter including ideas for assessment
• case studies to help practitioners get to grips with the realities of using Intensive Interaction.

This book has been updated to include the new SEN Disability Act (SENDA), and developments in new technology.

As students with disabilities and learning differences are included in general education settings in greater numbers, educators need easy and simple access to authentic information about effective teaching. This resource provides all teachers, regardless of level, experience, or area of specialization, with effective instructional strategies for students with/without disabilities and across grade levels and content areas. Drawing from evidenced-based models of instruction, 55 Tactics for Teaching Diverse Learners in Inclusive Settings is organized around four components of instruction-planning, managing, delivering, and evaluating-and allows teachers to respond to instructional diversity by using classroom-tested tactics backed by relevant research. Readers will also find: - A reproducible checklist of accommodations/modifications - A worksheet for planning and implementing accommodations/modifications - References and additional readings - A list of selected Internet resources for accommodations/modifications This is the third volume of a collection of practices for use at the elementary level, at the secondary level, and practices designed specifically for teaching students with disabilities. Also see: 63 Tactics for Teaching Diverse Learners, Grades 6-12 63 Tactics for Teaching Diverse Learners, K-6

Here is a reference and guide for teachers and parents who may not be aware of the resources available to help their students succeed. This book examines the many aspects of gifted thinking in relation to math and science and features competitions and curricula that can be easily adapted to students' lifestyles outside of the classroom. Mind-Bending Math and Science Activities for Gifted Students (For Grades K-12) is a helpful guide for math and science teachers, as well as for parents with limited backgrounds in math and science. Advice, vignettes, and cartoons are included.

The goal of this book is to encourage educators and researchers to understand the complexities of adolescent gang members' lives in order to rethink their assumptions about these students in school. The particular objective is to situate four gang members as literate, caring students from loving families whose identities and literacy keep them on the margins of school. The research described in this book suggests that advocacy is a particularly effective form of critical ethnography. Smith and Whitmore argue that until schools, as communities of practice, enable children and adolescents to retain identities from the communities in which they are full community members, frightening numbers of students are destined to fail. The stories of four Mexican American male adolescents, who were active members of a gang and Smith's students in an alternative high school program, portray the complicated, multiple worlds in which these boys live. As sons and teenage parents they live in a family community; as CRIP members they live in a gang community; as "at risk" students, drop-outs, and graduates they live in a school community, and as a result of their illegal activities they live in the juvenile court community. The authors theorize about the boys' literacy in each of their communities. Literacy is viewed as ideological, related to power, and embedded in a sociocultural context. Vivid examples of conversation, art, tagging, rap, poetry, and other language and literacy events bring the narratives to life in figures and photographs in all the chapters. Readers will find this book engaging and readable, yet thought provoking and challenging. Audiences for Literacy and Advocacy in Adolescent Family, Gang, School, and Juvenile Court Communities include education researchers, professionals, and students in the areas of middle/high school education, at-risk adolescent psychology, and alternative community programs--specifically those interested in literacy education, sociocultural theory, and popular culture.

Who Benefits From Special Education?: Remediating (Fixing) Other People's Children addresses the negative consequences of labeling and separating education for students with "disabilities," the cultural biases inherent in the way that we view children's learning difficulties, the social construction of disability, the commercialization of special education, and related issues. The theme that unifies the chapters is that tension exists between professional ideology and practice, and the wishes and expectations of the recipients of professional practice--children, adolescents, and adults with disabilities and their families. These voices have rarely taken center stage in formulating important decisions about the quality and characteristics of appropriate practice. The dominant view in the field of special education has been that disability is a problem in certain children, rather than an artifact that results from the general structure of schooling; it does not take into consideration the voices of people with disabilities, their families, or their teachers. Offering an alternative perspective, this book deconstructs mainstream special education ideologies and highlights the personal perspectives of students, families, and front-line professionals such as teachers and mental health personnel. It is particularly relevant for special education/disabilities studies graduate students and faculty and for readers in general education, curriculum studies, instruction theory, and critical theory.

"Who Benefits From Special Education?: Remediating (Fixing) Other People's Children" addresses the negative consequences of labeling and separating education for students with "disabilities," the cultural biases inherent in the way that we view children's learning difficulties, the social construction of disability, the commercialization of special education, and related issues.
The theme that unifies the chapters is that tension exists between professional ideology and practice, and the wishes and expectations of the recipients of professional practice--children, adolescents, and adults with disabilities and their families. These voices have rarely taken center stage in formulating important decisions about the quality and characteristics of appropriate practice. The dominant view in the field of special education has been that disability is a problem in certain children, rather than an artifact that results from the general structure of schooling; it does not take into consideration the voices of people with disabilities, their families, or their teachers. Offering an alternative perspective, this book deconstructs mainstream special education ideologies and highlights the personal perspectives of students, families, and front-line professionals such as teachers and mental health personnel. It is particularly relevant for special education/disabilities studies graduate students and faculty and for readers in general education, curriculum studies, instruction theory, and critical theory.

Teaching assistants are increasingly being asked to take on more and more responsibilities within schools, whilst more money and effort is being devoted to recruiting and training teaching assistants. This new guide covers the essentials of what every teaching assistant should know. information, this book provides a trouble-shooting guide to help teaching assistants deal with a wide variety of classroom situations. Some of the issues and dilemmas confronted in the book are: - who's who in the school - child protection - inclusion - self esteem - how to use individual learning styles to support students - dealing with unacceptable behaviour - supporting students with various special needs - coping with the job and personal development. looking up specific concerns, this is an essential book for all teaching assistants in primary, secondary and special needs schools, those starting out, and teaching assistants enrolled on training programmes such as NVQ 2, NVQ 3 and the higher level teaching assistants award.

First Published in 2005. A new and diverse role s emerging for Support Services, yet many schools and Early Years settings are unaware of the wealth of specialist skills and expertise contained therein. The editors have drawn together contributions from experienced colleagues working in a variety of roles with Special education needs. They illustrate how support services and schools can work together to develop best inclusive practice and enable children to thrive both socially and academically.

The "Access to the Curriculum Series" books are practical guides to teaching subject areas of the British National Curriculum; they highlight good practice and offer help with planning teaching and learning objectives and give suggested lesson activities.Written in plain English and full of ways to broaden pupils' learning experiences, this book looks at: the effective use of resources through good planning and the work of City Learning Centres and how to use that expertise to meet specific needs.

As wider access to higher education becomes a top priority for governments in the UK and around the world, this ground-breaking piece of work raises the challenging questions that policy-makers, vice-chancellors and government officials are reluctant to ask. A highly qualified team of authors have closely analyzed rates of participation and the experiences of disabled students in higher education over a two year period. They compare the responses of eight different universities to the new anti-discriminatory practice, contrasting their social profiles, academic missions, support systems for disabled students and approaches for the implementation of change. Change comes under particular scrutiny, with a close examination of each university's interpretation of 'reasonable adjustments', and the extent to which they have modified their campuses and teaching accordingly. Student case studies are used throughout to illustrate the real impact of institutional responses to the legislation. Disabled Students in Higher Education will make fascinating reading for students of education, social policy, politics, and disability studies, and for those working towards accredited university teacher status.

The movement towards inclusive education is undoubtedly an international phenomenon, and it has resulted in the development of policy initiatives impacting on schools in all nations.
This informative, wide-ranging text brings together key illustrative material from an international field. It adopts a critical perspective on policy issues, but goes beyond this by making explicit the assumptions that drive policy development. Readers will be encouraged to develop their own framework, allowing them to conduct policy analysis and evaluation within their own educational context.
Students and researchers interested in how principles of inclusive education are being translated into educational practices around the world will find this book an enlightening read.

First Published in 2005. This is Volume 12 in the Exceptionality series with the focus of Critical Issues in Training Special Education Teachers. This title features guest editor Laurie U. deBettencourt. The articles in this issue of Exceptionality discuss several issues relevant to special education teacher training: the meaning of highly qualified teachers, especially in the area of special education; the comparison of traditionally and alternatively trained special education teachers; and the reflections of alternatively trained first-year special educators. In addition, this issue provides a reflection of the past 20 years of preparing special education teachers as alternatives to traditional teacher preparation develop.

This is an edited book based on papers presented at a 2003 invitee-only conference under the sponsorship of the Merrill Advanced Studies Center of the University of Kansas. The participants were prominent scholars in the areas of language and reading, and have research programs funded by NIH and other sources. The purpose of the gathering was to discuss theoretical issues and research findings concerning the relationship between developmental language and reading disabilities, specifically looking at neurological, behavioral, and genetic factors. In addition, it discussed other factors contributing to reading difficulties in the middle elementary school years through adolescence and literacy outcomes for children with early language impairments, and how these problems relate to children with dyslexia. The Foreword is written by Reid Lyon, Branch Chief, Child Development and Behavior Branch, NICHD-National Institutes of Health.
This book appeals to scholars in the areas of language disorders and reading disabilities, as well as to practicing speech-language pathologists, special educators, and reading specialists. It may also be used in graduate courses designed as seminars in either language disorders or reading disabilities in schools of communication disorders, as well as schools of education--especially special education departments.

This is an edited book based on papers presented at a 2003 invitee-only conference under the sponsorship of the Merrill Advanced Studies Center of the University of Kansas. The participants were prominent scholars in the areas of language and reading, and have research programs funded by NIH and other sources. The purpose of the gathering was to discuss theoretical issues and research findings concerning the relationship between developmental language and reading disabilities, specifically looking at neurological, behavioral, and genetic factors. In addition, it discussed other factors contributing to reading difficulties in the middle elementary school years through adolescence and literacy outcomes for children with early language impairments, and how these problems relate to children with dyslexia. The Foreword is written by Reid Lyon, Branch Chief, Child Development and Behavior Branch, NICHD-National Institutes of Health.
This book appeals to scholars in the areas of language disorders and reading disabilities, as well as to practicing speech-language pathologists, special educators, and reading specialists. It may also be used in graduate courses designed as seminars in either language disorders or reading disabilities in schools of communication disorders, as well as schools of education--especially special education departments.

Federal and state laws, combined with a number of important court cases, have brought major reforms in special education. But laws, rules, and regulations are always changing. Practices that were followed yesterday may be illegal today. How can you be sure you are complying with the law? The Legal Foundations of Special Education summarizes landmark court cases and provides an overview of the most influential laws affecting special education services, including the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), its 2004 reauthorization, and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Highlights of this helpful guide to special education law include: o Key vocabulary terms o Summaries of the court cases and laws that affect every general and special educator o A pre-test and post-test to help readers assess their understanding of current legal terms and practices This book is also available as part of: A Practical Approach to Special Education for Every Teacher: The 13-Book Collection This collection equips educators with practical knowledge and methods that will help them to better engage students in exploring - and meeting - their fullest potential.

Since parents are the first teachers, collaboration is prime in educating children with disabilities. Federal legislation and laws address collaboration by empowering parents to be equal partners in planning and executing programs for their children. This book is designed to provide specific strategies for school personnel, parents, and community agencies to use in providing services for disabled children. Innovative approaches, jointly sharing information, the impact of disabilities on families, the importance of parenting skills, counseling parents, parents as resource individuals, and community interaction are all outlined; and collaborative strategies are highlighted for each of the aforementioned areas.Parenting Skills and Collaborative Services for Students with Disabilities provides information to parents concerning their rights in educating their disabled children and may be used in teaching institutions, public schools, parental groups, and agencies serving disabled individuals.

Here is an easy-to-read and inspiring text that explores the nature of young people and the effects traditional discipline strategies have on them. The author recommends humanistic approaches that promote personal growth in students rather than the common system of reward and punishment that aggravates underlying psychological issues and encourages resentment, retaliation, apathy, and failure. Includes: an academic review of educational psychology theories, step-by-step instructions on how to discipline students humanely and effectively, expressive artwork that illustrates how the principles of psychology manifest in the lives of real students in real schools. The ideas and stories emanate from the experiences of a K-12 teacher whose personal life has been profoundly intertwined with the teaching profession. This book will be of interest to practicing and pre-service teachers of all subject areas and grade levels.