ERIC/OSEP
Special Project
Funded by a contract with the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) of
the U.S. Department of Education, the ERIC/OSEP Special Project is operated by
The Council for Exceptional Children, through the ERIC Clearinghouse on
Disabilities and Gifted Education. The Special Project performs two major
functions: (1) to facilitate communication among researchers sponsored by OSEP
and (2) to disseminate information about special education research to
audiences involved in the development and delivery of special education
services. Among these audiences are policymakers, teachers, administrators, and
researchers. Special Project activities encompass tracking current research,
planning and coordinating research conferences, and developing a variety of
publications that synthesize or summarize recent research on critical issues
and topics. Specific activities include an annual conference for research
project directors, research forums, development of a series of oral histories
of leaders in special education, and maintenance of databases containing
ongoing research projects. The Special Project publishes the following products
available to the public at minimal cost: annual directories of current research
projects, research and resources on special education topical papers, research
briefs for teachers, and Issue Briefs.
Contact:
ERIC/OSEP Special Project
Council for Exceptional Children
1920 Association Drive
Reston, VA 22091-1589
(703) 264-9482
Fax: (703) 264-9494
Pierce
County Vocational/Special Education Cooperative
As a demonstration project, the Cooperative provides a model that
confederations of school districts can use to capitalize on their own unique
resources within the realms of vocational and special education to prepare
mildly handicapped high school students for employment and/or postsecondary
vocational training. A regional cooperative is established to provide data
collection, staff development, and support services to the member districts. It
also assists in developing and implementing effective, results-oriented process
models. The Cooperative operates on the premise that mildly handicapped
learners are better prepared for the working world when vocational and special
educators systematically coordinate and consolidate their expertise. The
Cooperative has demonstrated success in enhancing the rate and quality of
employment and enrollment in postsecondary education for the targeted
population. Awareness materials are available at minimal or no cost.
Contact:
James Hokstaff, Director
Pierce County Vocational/Special Education Cooperative
214 W. Main
Puyallup, WA 98371
(206) 841-8700
Fax: (206) 841-8655
Project
ADAPT
Central to the Project ADAPT service delivery model is the concept of achieving
student outcomes through changing the way that teachers teach and the way that
students learn. This program provides a comprehensive service delivery model
for secondary and postsecondary students who are learning disabled. The program
increases the number of students receiving full-time service in the educational
mainstream, reduces the dropout rate of students who are learning disabled, and
improves their basic academic skills. Project ADAPT augments a school's
existing LD service delivery system, improving the structure by increasing
knowledge, skills, awareness, communication, and coordination. Three key areas
for teacher adaptation are addressed: (1) teaching skills, (2) curricula and
materials, and (3) collaboration. The project training process instructs
teachers in using alternative organization, management, practice, presentation,
and assessment techniques to adapt the regular classroom environment for the
student with learning disabilities. All teachers learn to assess their
curricula and teaching materials for appropriateness. Student adaptation is
facilitated by the resource teacher through re-teaching and adaptive skill
instruction. The goals are to remediate basic skill deficiency and equip
learners with skills that will transfer to the regular classroom and to the
world of work. Twenty-two percent of the students were mainstreamed on a
full-time basis after one year in the project, 43% after two years (compared to
a national average of 15%). Awareness materials are available at no cost.
Awareness sessions, implementation, and follow-up services are available at a
fee.
Contact:
Celia Meyers
Project ADAPT
123 E. Broadway
Cushing, OK 74023
(918) 225-1882
Project
Partnerships
Project Partnerships provides 14- to 21-year-old high school students with
severe disabilities the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to make the
transition from school to work. Through the collaborative efforts of the New
Hampshire Job Training Council, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the
Bureau of Special Education, the Bureau of Vocational-Technical Education, the
Developmental Disabilities Council, the Division of Mental Health and
Developmental Services, and local school systems, the program seeks to provide
all students with severe disabilities the educational, vocational, and
community-related tools they will need to excel In school and to secure
employment upon graduation. The program has facilitated collaboration among
public agencies and local school systems to meet the needs of severely disabled
students. It has identified employers interested in providing training
experience and competitive employment to severely disabled students and
provided access to vocational-technical education programs.
Contact:
Project Partnerships
New Hampshire Job Training Councils
64 Old Suncook Road
Concord, NH 03301
(603) 228-9500
(800) 772-7001 in New Hampshire
Fax: (603) 228-8557
Skills
and Academics Grant Education
A joint venture between the Metro Area Vocational-Technical School District and
Oklahoma City Schools since 1981, Skills and Academics Grant Education (SAGE)
has served as an alternative high school for students classified as at-risk of
not graduating from high school. In 1990, this cooperative effort was awarded
the Governor's Excellence Award. SAGE is designed to integrate general
education and vocational training to assist students in recognizing the
relationship between academics and the world of work.
This unique school offers both vocational and academic programs. The seven
vocational programs are (1) Auto Service Technology, (2) Business Technology,
(3) Building Maintenance, (4) Carpentry, (5) Distributive Education/Marketing,
(6) Motorcycle Technology, and (7) Welding. Academic programs offered include
Mathematics, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. In addition, a
Learning Resource Center is available for remedial support in reading and math.
All classes use individualized instructional methods with maximum
student-to-teacher ratios of fourteen to one. Students are referred to SAGE
from the seven Oklahoma City district high schools. Support services available
include nontraditional career counseling.
Contact:
SAGE Alternative High School
201 NE 48th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 424-8324