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This report describes recent gains in support for the movement to allow parents to choose the public school which their children attend. Reasons for the movement's growth and methods of implementing school choice plans are presented. The paper then focuses specifically on interdistrict school choice plans, identifying major aspects which are likely to affect special education programs and the ability of students with handicaps to participate in these types of choice programs. Five major issues are discussed: (1) responsibilities of the resident district; (2) criteria for student admission to nonresident school districts; (3) due process; (4) finance; and (5) transportation. The report discusses each of the major issue areas as they relate to special education and describes how each area has been addressed in five states with interdistrict choice plans (Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Ohio). A final section summarizes, by state, the provisions included in each state's legislation. An appendix reprints the school choice legislation of each of the five states. Includes two references. (JDD)

The purpose of this study was to carry out the mandate of the Education of the Handicapped Amendments of 1983 and 1986 which called for an analysis and evaluation of the effectiveness of procedures undertaken by state education agencies, local education agencies, and intermediate educational units to improve programs of instruction for handicapped children and youth in day or residential facilities. The facilities on which the study focused are those described as "separate"; i.e., residential or day facilities exclusively serving handicapped persons in buildings physically separate from those for their nonhandicapped peers. Research questions specifically addressed were: (1) What are the current number and characteristics of such facilities? (2) What types of educational opportunities and related services do children in these facilities receive? (3) What have been the patterns of change in these facilities? and (4) What factors have affected the practices of facilities and patterns of change? A survey was conducted of 2,580 facilities, from which total 1,941 replies were received for a response rate of 75%. Additionally, data were gathered from 50 special education divisions of state education agencies, including the District of Columbia (one state failed to respond); and case studies were conducted of eight state education agencies and of three facilities within each state. An extended summary of findings, which comprises the remainder of this volume, is organized into three sections: (1) a national profile of separate facilities; (2) a review of state special education procedures that can influence separate facilities; and (3) an analysis of changes at separate facilities since the passage of Public Law 94-142 and the factors associated with those changes. Findings show that separate facilities have noted such changes as increased individualized program planning and evaluation, increased parental involvement, and to some extent, more opportunities for interaction with nonhandicapped peers. Changes in social expectations about the developmental potential and life contributions of handicapped persons have led to increased emphasis on life skills training, vocational training, and transition planning. State education agency procedures have played a significant role in fostering change at separate facilities, especially through setting regulatory standards, offering technical assistance, and monitoring compliance. Several avenues for further resarch are suggested. Includes 23 references. (JDD)

The second of five volumes of a report on instructional programs for handicapped children and youth in day and residential facilities, this document describes methodologies and results of the first of four components of the study, a national survey of separate facilities for handicapped children and youth which yielded responses from 1,315 day programs and 626 residential programs (a 75% return rate). This survey provides the first comprehensive national data set of this nature. Detailed information over a wide range of areas is presented for both types of facilities, including administrative characteristics (size, ownership, costs, funding sources, and licensure and certification); staff characteristics (number of staff, professional training of staff, and hours of specialized services provided); characteristics of pupils (numbers of students by type and severity of handicapping conditions, age, gender, and racial/ethnic distribution; living arrangements of day students; and educational, recreational, and other services provided by the facilities. These include on-site and off-site programs for students aged birth through 21 years, student evaluations, services to existing students, and participation in noninstructional activities. Detailed data on entering and exiting students for the full year of 1987 is also provided, as is a longitudinal examination of changes and new roles for separate facilities in the years following the initial implementation of Public Law 94-142 (the Education for All Handicapped Children Act) in 1976. Data is displayed in 102 tables. (JDD)

The third of five volumes of a study of instructional programs for handicapped children and youth in separate day care and residential facilities, this document presents the results of an analysis of State education agency (SEA) procedures and the impact of these procedures on special education services and practices within the targeted facilities. The analysis draws upon a variety of sources, including case studies of eight states (California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey, Ohio and South Carolina), a survey of 50 SEA special education divisions, a survey of 1,941 separate facilities, and case studies of 24 separate facilities from the case study states. Part 1 of the report focuses on the economic and educational context and the structure of state special education systems. Part 2 deals with SEA procedures for special education funding, standards, monitoring, technical assistance, in-service training, program development, and dissemination activities. Part 3 discusses factors affecting educational practice at separate facilities, specifically: changes in student population and mission; factors affecting programs, such as individualized education and transition plans, changes in life skills and vocational education, increased use of treatment and behavioral goals in educational programming, and program evaluation; factors affecting facility staffing, such as staff development and staff evaluation; and factors affecting student integration and parental involvement. Three technical appendices review the study methodology, and 15 references are included. (JDD)

Initiated in response to a Congressional requirement in the 1983 amendments to the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, this report provides nationally representative estimates of the per-pupil expense of educating students with disabilities. The estimates are derived from information gathered through a 1985-86 school year survey in a sample of 60 school districts located in 18 states. Based on the Resource Cost Model, the survey gathered information about the resources, pricing, and pupil enrollments of all special and regular education programs and services provided to students in the sampled districts. Resources were broken down into personnel, supplies, materials, equipment, energy, and space associated with each program. Five categories of special education programs were studied: preschool, resource, self-contained, residential, and home/hospital. Supplemental service expenditures were also analyzed, including related services, adaptive physical education, and special vocational instruction. In addition, the study documents expenditures for district-level and school-level support services, including supervisory and administrative personnel, curriculum coordinators, community liaison staff, attendance officers, research and evaluation, etc. Five categories of service providers were examined: school districts, cooperatives, other state and local agencies, private schools, and purchased services. The 1985-86 data are compared with per-pupil expenditures obtained from an earlier study conducted in 1977-78. (JDD)

This study describes the Michigan special education work force (as of 1988-89) with regard to six issues, one primary and five supplemental, having to do with the need for and supply of special educators and attempts to predict future personnel needs. The primary issue concerns the factors that will affect the teacher supply and demand in the near future. Teacher data were projected over 3 years. The study used predictive models developed by the Office of Special Education Programs, that are either market based or prevalence based. The five supplementary issues include: special education synopsis, personnel gender ratios, teachers of students with learning disabilities, higher education training programs, and special education administrators. Narratives and graphs of statistical data provide analysis of the following areas: special educator shortages, teacher retention, retirement, recruitment, out-of-state teachers, out-of-field teachers, number of teachers issued emergency approval, teachers trained in-state, the market based model, the prevalence model, and data elements. In view of the identified decline in the special education teaching profession, recommendations are made for: (1) training more teachers to enter the field; and (2) retaining current teachers by reducing the level of attrition. Additional discussions and graphs address each of the supplementary issues. Attached tables present the data used in the models. (24 references) (DB)