Mainstream Special Education: Issues and Perspectives in Urban Centers.

Overview & Synopsis

Provided are 19 presentations made to 200 participants in a conference on issues of mainstreaming, career education, and teacher education programs for urban handicapped children. Noted are four conference objectives such as improving communication within states between educational agencies and large city special education (SE) personnel. Discussed are SE in cities and procedures for planning the conference. Three papers address the issues of a right to education for all exceptional children, training needs of regular educators, and three D's (decategorization, declassification, and desegregation). Commented on in three papers are labeling and categorization, definitions and classification, and labeling and minority groups. The following are among seven educational agency projects and cooperative programs described: the Maryland design for SE services, Portland's public school prescriptive education program, East Cleveland's program for urban education, the Houston plan for retraining regular class teachers, the school/university teacher training program in Madison, and a California model for development centers. Discussed in five presentations are university teacher education programs which focus on the following areas: training of regular teachers in learning disabilities, computer assisted renewal education, training of regular teachers in SE, a clinical teacher model for interrelated SE areas, and programed environments for the mentally retarded. Future SE projects are reviewed in relation to a national technical assistance system. Reported is favorable evaluation by participants. (MC)