WWW finds minimal benefits from Lovaas Model of Applied Behavior Analysis

Only two studies met WWW evidence standards fully or with qualifications. They summarize their findings:
"Based on these two studies, the WWC considers the extent of evidence for the Lovaas Model for children with disabilities to be small for cognitive development, communication/language competencies, social-emotional development and behavior, and functional abilities. No studies that meet WWC evidence standards with or without reservations examined the effectiveness of the Lovaas Model on children with disabilities in the literacy, math competencies, or physical well-being domains." Read the short report and see a tabular presentation of data here: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/ece_cd/lovaas_model/

Pre-elementary Special Education study released

The National Center for Special Education Research within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the third major report from the Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study (PEELS) entitled, "The Early School Transitions and the Social Behavior of Children with Disabilities: Selected Findings from the Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study." PEELS involves a nationally representative sample of children, ages 3 to 5 years at entrance to the study, with diverse disabilities who are receiving preschool special education services in a variety of settings. Topics covered in the report include changes in services and eligibility at times of transition, transitions into kindergarten, and social skills and problem behavior of young children with disabilities from 2003-04 to 2005-06.

NCEE report on teacher preparation to work with students with disabilities

A new report from REL Southeast:
"The study examines the extent to which elementary education teacher preparation programs in 36 randomly selected colleges and universities in the six Southeast Region states integrate content related to students with disabilities. Findings show most programs require one disability-focused course, two-thirds incorporate fieldwork related to students with disabilities, and more than half incorporate disability content into their mission statements."

Report links here: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/projects/project.asp?projectID=171&productID=124

New IES Report: Changes in the Characteristics, Services, and Performance of Preschoolers with Disabilities from 2003-04 to 2004-05

The National Center for Special Education Research within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the second major report from the Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study (PEELS)... PEELS involves a nationally representative sample of children, 3 to 5 years of age when they entered the study, with diverse disabilities who are receiving preschool special education services in a variety of settings. Topics covered in the report include declassification (children leaving special education), reclassification (movement from one primary disability group to another), changes over time in the special education and related services provided to preschoolers with disabilities, and changes in children's performance on a series of direct and indirect assessments in the areas of emerging literacy, early math skills, social be!
havior, and motor skills from 2003-04 to 2004-05.
You can view, download, and print the report at
http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/pubs/index.asp#20083011