This study examined the components of academic support that influenced the graduation rates of college football players. The study included Research I and Land Grant institutions that participated in NCAA Division I athletics and met NCAA eligibility standards for student athletes. A total of 27 institutions were identified. Among these schools, there were no significant differences in the average SAT scores. The 27 schools were ranked in the order of their average graduation rates for football players for 1996, 1997, and 1998. The top three, middle three, and bottom three institutions were then chosen for comparison and analysis. Information about each institution's Academic Support Program was gathered through the use of a questionnaire and follow-up interviews. All nine of the surveyed institutions had similar components of academic support. The top three programs differed from the others in two ways: (1) Key leaders (Athletic Director, Academic Program Director, coaches, and faculty) established academic success as a priority and used positive consequences for success and negative consequences for failure to perform and (2) student athletes were served through the academic services, programs, and systems the university already provided to assist all students. Ironically, the three institutions with the largest budgets and largest number of academic staff had the lowest graduation rates. Implications concentrate on potential changes in institutional policies. This study has five implications for the NCAA, university Presidents, and Athletic Directors.

Adolescents at this age seriously contemplate who they are, who their friends are, and with whom they belong. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the characteristics of classroom membership as perceived by middle school students themselves and for their classmates with severe disabilities. Two inclusive middle schools were selected which consisted of 6th, 7th, and 8th grade levels. A total of fifty-one middle school students participated in the main study, of whom four students had severe disabilities. Seven focus group discussions and 16 individual interviews were conducted to obtain a fuller understanding of students' descriptions of perceptions on classroom membership for students with and without severe disabilities. Videotaped recordings were made in the inclusive classrooms such as science, math, art, and drama. Interview data analysis was conducted following the coding procedures such as the constant comparative method used in qualitative research. Videotaped observation notes were analyzed to confirm findings obtained from the interviews. In general, findings showed that middle school students perceived that having friends in class, peer interactions, actively participating in the class activities, and obtaining good grades indicated a student was a member of the class. Students perceived that teachers made them feel like members when the teachers respected them, treated them equally, had no favorites, appreciated students' work, and called on everybody to participate in the class. Students associated class activities with classroom membership. They felt part of the class when class work was fun, active, interesting, and meaningful. Students perceived similar indicators of membership for their classmates with severe disabilities. In conclusion, findings provided implications for teachers to facilitate membership and a sense of belonging for middle school students with and without disabilities in their inclusive classrooms.

Semi-structured interviews provided the primary source of data in this qualitative study that was designed to determine factors that determine academic success and failure of college students with learning disabilities. All student participants were using either of two support programs for learning disability support services on a large Research I Land Grant University. Students were matched on cumulative high school grade point average (3.0 or higher), full-scale scores intelligence measures, and composite college entrance examinations scores. Students were further grouped as Successful (cumulative college grade point average of 3.0 or higher) or Jeopardy (cumulative college grade point average of less than 2.0). Participating instructors and learning disability support services personnel were identified by students during the interview process as examples of effective instructors/practitioners. Perceptions of students, instructors, and learning disabilities support staff were gathered and examined regarding the nature of students, teaching, environmental factors that facilitate and inhibit learning, and support services of the two programs providing support services for these college students with learning disabilities. Elements of self-efficacious attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of students were also examined. Data was analyzed to determine differences and commonalties between successful and unsuccessful students with learning disabilities. Concepts from social construction theory were used to identify the social context. Retention theory, self-efficacy theory, and literature from the fields of good practice and learning communities were also instrumental in the approach to data analysis. Suggestions for further research and implications for practice are offered while acknowledging the limitations of this study.

Reading is an area that has concerned educators who work with students who are deaf or hard of hearing for many years. Studies from the 1960s to the present have concluded that students who are deaf read at lower levels than their hearing counterparts. The purpose of this study is to investigate the reading strategies used by students who are deaf, as they comprehend the written text. This study focuses on the strengths of individual students who are deaf, as they realize their potential as efficient readers and writers of a language they cannot hear. Qualitative case study research design initiated and guided this investigation. Through observations, interviews, and miscue analysis, I investigated two students' reading strategies. I was interested in the students' perspectives of their reading strategies, reading strengths, and thoughts about the reading process. Using constant comparative method of reading, organizing, and coding the data, an understanding of the students' reading strategies developed. A significant implication from this study is that students who are deaf use similar reading strategies as students with normal hearing in each of the three reading comprehension categories, predicting, sampling, and confirming. However, findings also and translation of the text from English to ASL, to assist their comprehension. Further research into each of these areas is warranted.

This study involved a sample of 66 regular classroom teachers, grades K through 5, from a local school district. Subjects were given a measure of preference for two types of cooperative interventions designed to meet the needs of mildly handicapped students in the regular classroom (collaborative and consultative interventions). The results indicate that the teachers had no preferences of one type of intervention over the other and that the two variables measured were positively correlated. These results seem to indicate that those teachers who are willing to cooperate with special education personnel were flexible in the approach used, while others did not support either type of intervention. Respondents' comments reflect a strong concern for large class size and fairness to non-handicapped students.

Thailand is one of the South East Asian countries undergoing major economical and social changes. On the verge of becoming industrialized, it has a literacy rate of 91% which is well above international standards. Yet, handicapped people have very limited educational opportunities. Less than 4% of handicapped children in Thailand have access to education. / The purpose of this study is to determine specific needs of special education by comparing findings from agencies visited such as schools, foundations, government and non government organizations, with government policies. / The educational system is studied and special education policies described. A look at implemented laws shows that the government recognizes its responsibility towards the handicapped; it is also pointed out that the major causes for handicaps are generally due to avoidable situations. Finally, special government projects are highlighted and suggestions are submitted for future developments.

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<p> The purpose of this project was to develop a grant and identify potential funding sources to fund a staff training program at the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) of South East Ventura County to increase staffs knowledge of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) techniques when working with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in after-school settings. A comprehensive review of the literature was completed to build knowledge about the need for after-school programming, the benefits of participating in after-school programs, the benefits of inclusion for children diagnosed with ASD, and ABA interventions. The Amgen Foundation was selected as the ideal funding source for this project. This training program targets employees working in the after-school programs at the YMCA of South East Ventura County. Submission and/or funding were not a requirement for the successful completion of this project.</p>

<p> Despite the vast research on students with disabilities, little is known about the perspectives of faculty in higher education. According to the literature reviewed, the overall experience of students with disabilities inside the classroom in higher education is negative due to faculty knowledge, awareness, and perceptions. Institutions of higher education are seeing an increase in the number of students with disabilities who are attending college. Students with disabilities have needs inside of the classroom that exceed a typical student in higher education. Faculty provides the support inside of the classroom necessary to meet both the university standards and the standards addressed in the Americans with Disabilities Act. The purpose of this study was to assess faculty knowledge, awareness and perceptions as they relate to students with disabilities and the regulations that mandate accessibility in higher education. </p><p> A survey was administered to 162 faculty members at a large four-year university in the southeastern United States. The findings from this study identified that faculty at the university had significant differences across gender, knowledge, awareness, and perceptions. No significant group differences were found in faculty based on years teaching and their knowledge, awareness, and perceptions. Findings could serve as the foundation for future research on faculty knowledge, awareness, and perceptions. In addition the findings add to the existing literature and provide data to offices for students with disabilities to further understand faculty knowledge, awareness and perceptions as well as possible justification for faculty development. Suggestions and implications for practice are also addressed.</p>

<p> Previous literature suggests that academic achievement and self-concept among adolescents in the general education population are positively related (e.g., Huang, 2011). For students with disabilities, however, the correlation between academic achievement and self-concept is sometimes negative and non-significant (Daniel &amp; King, 1995; Feiwell, 1997; Houck &amp; Houck, 1976; Young, 1990). Limited research has investigated the relations between academic achievement and self-concept of students with disabilities and few studies consider this relation over time. This study design included four features to address the gaps in the literature: 1) methods appropriate for complex data sets; 2) use of latent constructs; and investigation of differences 3) between genders and 4) among the categories of disability. </p><p> Three questions were investigated: What are the relations between self-concept and academic achievement over time among adolescent students with disabilities? What are the differences in these relations among male and female adolescents with disabilities? What are the differences in these relations among adolescent students with emotional disturbance (ED), intellectual disabilities (ID), and learning disabilities (LD)? </p><p> In a secondary analysis of the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS) database, cross-lagged longitudinal panel path analyses were used to explore the relations among the overall sample of 14-year-olds as well as of males-only, females-only, ED-only, ID-only, and LD-only subgroups. Additional procedures were used to account for issues due to missing data, non-normality of distributions, and clustered, stratified, and disproportionate sampling. </p><p> Results of the study suggested that the relations between academic achievement and self-concept were complex. In the overall sample, no significant relations were found. When split by gender, the data indicated nearly equal but opposite path coefficients from self-concept at Time 1 to academic achievement at Time 2. The paths from academic achievement at Time 1 to self-concept at Time 2 obtained statistical significance among the ED-only (positive) and LD-only (negative) groups. The subgroup differences in the relations between academic achievement and self-concept suggested that more subgroup analyses need to occur. None of the study's hypotheses were fully supported by the data. The recommendations for practice, policy, and research are presented.</p>