This study examined the relationship between certain predictor variables and the degree of burnout experienced by teachers of students with moderate to profound mental retardation. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI Form Ed) was used to measure the perceived burnout of 68 respondents. Demographic data and ratings of perceived burnout of 68 respondents. Demographic data and ratings of perceived organizational factors were also obtained from each participant. A maximum R2 regression analysis revealed significant predictor variables for each of the MBI Form Ed subscales. The age of the students and the teachers' perceived level of supervisory support were found to be significantly related to Emotional Exhaustion scores. For the Depersonalization dimension, the respondents' educational status and their perception of collegial support were found to be significantly related.

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300 subjects in Grades 4, 5, and 6 were randomly blocked into three conditions (reading only, listening only, or reading and listening) according to reading level (above average, average, and below average). The subjects were presented a 1500-word social studies passage and required to answer 25 multiple-choice questions concerning that passage. A 3 (grade) by 3 (reading level) by 3 (exposure condition) analysis of variance showed better performance by above average readers, poorest by those below average. Reading and listening and reading only gave higher scores.

Sixty Ohio local educational agencies (LEAs) were administered a survey examining their level of compliance with federal laws PL 93-380 and PL 94-142. An open-ended questionnaire was administered directly to LEA superintendents or their designees. A 7-point rating scale was developed to assess the compliance position assumed by each LEA. The scale ranged from 1 (nonadaptation) to 7 (maximal adaptation). Fourteen demographic variables depicting each LEA were then assessed to determine their relationship with the adaptation stance. Two demographic variables were found to be significantly related to the overall compliance posture assumed by LEAs. The average educational level of special educators employed by an LEA and the total number of school-age children enrolled in the LEA were positively related to the LEA's adaptation posture. These findings are discussed with reference to policy decisions determined at the state level.The question of whether the federal, state, or local agency should have control over educational policy has long been a point of controversy. The hierarchical interrelationship among these three agencies has favored a vertical power structure in which the federal agency has dictated policies downward to state and local agencies. During the past 2 decades we have witnessed a trend of the federal government taking an even more active role in initiating policy decisions, with the power to implement these policies most often assigned to the state education agencies (SEAs). The degree to which an SEA can comply with federal mandates depends on the cooperation of local education agencies (LEAs). Often SEAs provide financial incentives to ensure compliance from its local agencies. Yet when legislative mandates run counter to the objectives of a local agency, the incentive may not be sufficient to promote the LEAs' compliance. If the adaptation posture of the LEA is not congruent with the legislative mandates, then the SEA may have to resort to other measures, such as a court injunction, to secure compliance from the LEA.Over the past decade, special education has undergone many changes in an attempt to advance educational opportunities for the handicapped. Recently,