JL. UBLIC EDUCATION HAS EXPERIENCED A LONGand turbulent history of criticism and reform focused on virtually every aspect of its service to children and adolescents. However, perhaps at no time has the American educational system come under closer scrutiny than during the 1980s and early 1990s as professionals, business leaders, and politicians, as well as parents and other laypersons, have increasingly called for improving the quality of education at all levels. A number of national commissions and reports have been particularly strident in their support for major changes in the system (e.g., National Coalition of Advocates for Students, 1985; National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983). A central focus of many of these criticisms was an increased commitment to educational rigor. Specifically, reformers called for the need to raise standards and increase accountability, heighten expectations for student performance, increase instructional time through efficient usage and/or extended school years, reform and restructure teacher education, promote home-school partnerships, and encourage communities to hold schools more accountable (Michaels, 1988;Westbury, 1984).During the mid-1980s, paralleling the reform movement in general education, a reform movement in special education also began in earnest due to urgent calls for the integration of students with disabilities into general education classes. Specifically, the Regular Education Initiative (REI) (Will, 1986) and more recently the inclusion movement (National Association of School Boards of Education [NASBE], 1992) have increased the likelihood that students with disabilities will receive a significant portion or all of their instruction in general education classrooms.

This study examined the experiences and views of students with learning disabilities regarding the homework they receive in their general education classes and identified ways that teachers and parents might positively affect students' performance. Subjects were 10 high school students identified as having learning disabilities. Individual interviews were conducted to elicit information from each student. An analysis of the interviews resulted in the emergence of three themes: (a) factors that make homework easy, (b) factors that make homework difficult, and (c) recommendations for teachers, students, and parents. The results, limitations of the study, and future research needs are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to generate recommendations for improving communication between home and school regarding the homework assigned in mainstream classes. specifically, the objectives of the study were to identify recommendations for ameliorating homework-communication problems between (a) parents and classroom teachers, (8) parents and special education teachers, and (c) classroom teachers and special education teachers. subjects for this study were 8 parents of students with mild disabilities, 13 special education teachefs of students with mild disabilities, and 11 classroom teachers who taught students with mild disabilities in their classes. six focus groups were used to generate recommendations. many recommendations for solving homework-communication problems were identified by parents, classroom teachers, and special education teachers. five themes emerged from these recommendations: time and opportunity; knowledge; attitudes and abilities; bypass; and other. these results, as well as limitations of the study and future research needs. are discussed

Nursing programs and educators have long recognized the need to prepare students for evidence based nursing practice, and for being well-informed about nursing research. Literature indicates course-based undergraduate research experiences are linked to pursuing graduate degrees, and/or continuing with research pursuits. There is limited published evidence on how nursing research should be taught. The objective of this study is to evaluate a novel course-based model-developed at our institution for integration of practical research in undergraduate years. This model was designed to help students appreciate the steps, and efforts involved in generating and completing research studies they are often required to critically analyze. We describe the model and report the results of a study designed to evaluate the elective course outcomes based on a 4-year experience. The study is composed of: a retrospective comparative analysis of final grades in relation to core research courses, a structured online survey to capture students' perspectives and experiences and thematic analysis of course feedback. Results showed while there was no significant difference in the final courses' grades of the two mandatory research courses between students who took the elective and those who did not, there were significant differences between the years and a trend towards a significant effect of the research course in one of the years. Survey data and thematic analysis document the course benefits and show 100% of students recommend the course. Examining education models such as this can support the evolving needs of nursing students and enhance the quality of nursing graduates.