The current study investigated the impact of implementing Instructional Consultation Teams (IC Teams) on the disproportionate referral and placement of minority students into special education. Data were collected on referral and placement patterns of minority students in 13 IC Teams schools and 9 comparison schools. Three accepted indices of disproportionality—including risk indexes, odds ratios, and composition indexes—were calculated and analyzed for the baseline and for 2 years of project implementation. After 2 years of implementation, there were significant decreases in the risk of minority students in IC Team project schools being referred to and placed in special education when compared to nonproject schools. Moreover, the odds of minority students' being referred and placed in special education decreased by almost half in IC Team schools. Similar decreases in IC Team schools were noted when analyzing the composition indexes. The current findings also highlight the influence that quality classroom instructional practices have on the referral and placement of minority students for special education services.

A useful methodology for coding themes directly from audiotape is described, and issues and methods by which reliability can be established are presented. Attention is given to both the importance of audiotape use in qualitative research and the ways in which audiotape use can be expanded. Comparison is made between reliability estimates from coding themes directly from audiotape and coding themes from transcripts. A study is presented in which the reliability of direct coding from audiotapes, to develop conceptual categories and code concerns of professionals being trained on school-based support teams, was evaluated The results of this study suggest that the direct coding of audiotapes provides the qualitative researcher with another reliable option in the collection and analysis of data. Research implications are discussed

A primary hypothesized outcome of consultee-centered consultation, including instructional consultation (IC), is that consultees will become more skilled. However, these claims have not been well researched. Data from 274 teachers implementing IC were analyzed to investigate perceptions of satisfaction and skill development. Results indicated that teachers were highly satisfied, perceived outcomes to meet or exceed their expectations, and felt confident about handling similar problems in the future. The majority reported learning one or more skills or strategies from participating and indicated generalization of skills learned from IC to other students. Relationships between satisfaction, generalization, and perceived outcomes are also presented. Although based on descriptive methodology, this analysis of teachers' perceptions of IC provides a window into their experiences.

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