HIV and schistosomiasis co-infection in African children

HIV/AIDS and schistosomiasis both cause a substantial disease burden in sub-Saharan Africa and the two diseases often overlap in their epidemiological characteristics. Although disease-specific control interventions are continuing, potential synergies in the control efforts for these two diseases have not been investigated. With a focus on children with schistosomiasis, we assess the risk for increased HIV transmission, HIV progression, and impaired response to drugs when given alongside HIV interventions. A new research agenda tailored to children is needed to better understand the interactions of these two diseases and the potential for combined responses

Disproportionate Representation in Special Education: A Synthesis and Recommendations

Disproportionate representation of minority students in special education remains a very controversial, unresolved issue. This synthesis summarizes historical perspectives and current knowledge about disproportionate representation with respect to: (a) definitions of disproportionate representation and related issues of interpretation; (b) national and state-level estimates of disproportionality for four ethnic groups; (c) legal, policy, research and teacher education responses to disproportionality; and (d) hypothesized causes and predictors of disproportionality. Authors stress the need for: coherent and well-articulated conceptual frameworks, responsible use and representation of data, research dialog that is informed by appreciation of the complex sociopolitical history and current context, and the need for effective advocacy to improve the educational success of minority students

Ethnicity and Special Education Research: Identifying Questions and Methods

This article presents questions, offers ideas, and solicits input regarding hypotheses and methodologies needed to extend our understanding of the ethnic representation of students identified as having serious emotional disturbance (SED). Technical methods are discussed to ensure that estimates of the extent of disproportionate representation are accurate, technically defensible, and interpretable for purposes of further research and policy decisions. Research questions and analyses needed to produce a better conceptual understanding of why disproportionality occurs are explored. Societal issues are described that influence definitions, methods, and interpretations and will continue to influence capacity to respond to the problem of disproportionate ethnic representation of students with SED

Identification And Placement Of Students With Serious Emotional Disturbance. Part I: Correlates Of State Child-Count Data

Research on students with serious emotional disturbances (SED) suggests that these children are significantly underidentified. National special education data bear out this conclusion to a large extent. However, the rate at which U.S. public schools identify children as SED varies considerably across states. The relationships between those rates of identification and a set of demographic and economic variables that have been found to be important in earlier work were examined in this research. Significant correlations were found between SED identification and several state economic variables. A regression analysis indicated that variation in per pupil revenue explains about one fourth of the variance in identification rates. Significant differences were found among groups of states based on region, elementary and secondary expenditure, per pupil revenue, and per capita income. Regional differences were maintained, even when the effects of per pupil revenue were removed. The implications of these findings for public policy and special education planning and service delivery are discussed. © 1995, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved

State Variation in Gender Disproportionality in Special Education: Findings and Recommendations

Gender disproportionality in special education has been apparent for many years, reflected in male-to-female ratios that range from about 1.5:1 to 3.5:1. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent of disproportionate representation for the disability conditions of learning disability (LD), serious emotional disturbance (SED), and mental retardation (MR) at the state, regional, and national levels. Using data collected by the U.S. Office for Civil Rights, we examined the hypothesis that current variations across states in gender disproportionality should be small, and similar to rates for the nation as a whole, Substantial variations in state rates for students with LD and SED were observed. We also examined the hypothesis that states serving relatively fewer students for a given disability are likely to have greater male overrepresentation. This hypothesis was generally supported for students with LD but not for students with MR or SED. We examined factors related to state policies for students with MR and SED that might help to account for these findings. We conclude with recommendations for research to better understand the basis for gender disproportionality and with several practical implications for policy review and response related to gender disproportionality at the regional, state, and national levels

National Leadership for Children and Youth With Serious Emotional Disturbance: Progress and Prospects

Despite the federal mandate to identify and provide appropriate educational and related services to children and youth with serious emotional disturbance (SED), the national profile portrays exceptionally low rates of identification; unacceptably low rates of school completion; high rates of placement in segregated environments; evidence that economic and demographic factors substantially affect identification, placement, and school completion; and a mixed, although mostly discouraging picture of outcomes after leaving the educational system. Recent national leadership, comprised of strategic planning, research, and demonstration initiatives has attained considerable momentum and is intended to improve outcomes for children with SED. Significant changes are anticipated as a result of the upcoming reauthorization of the statute governing special education and related services. These changes reflect a 20 year perspective regarding the benefits and shortcomings of current eligibility criteria and discretionary initiatives for improving outcomes for children with disabilities. The manner in which these changes may affect prospects for better serving children with SED is discussed

The Effectiveness of Word Processor Spell Checker Programs to Produce Target Words for Misspellings Generated by Students with Learning Disabilities

This study investigated spell check programs to determine how they differ in producing target words in first position in the replacement list for misspellings generated by students with learning disabilities. A pool of 1,008 misspellings taken from 111 writing samples generated by students with learning disabilities, grades three through eight, were spell checked by the spell check function of nine word processing software programs. Misspellings were classified by the level of phonetic mismatch to the target word (phonetic error level) and the proportion of correct two-letter sequences (bigram ratio). A significant difference was found among spell checkers in their ability to produce target words first in the replacement list. In addition, a significant difference with respect to phonetic error level and bigram ratio was found. Efficiency of spell checkers increased as the phonetic error level or the bigram ratio of the misspellings increased. These results suggest that spell checkers are overall ineffective in producing target words first in the replacement list for misspellings generated by students with learning disabilities

Individual, Family, and School Factors Associated With the Identification of Female and Male Students for Special Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors related to placement in special education for males and females. The conceptual approach included individual, family, and school characteristics believed to influence educational performance and outcomes with emphasis was given to variables for with evidence of differential effects for males and females. Using the nationally representative, longitudinal NELS-88 data set, a logistic regression model examined the extent to which individual, family, and school characteristics were differentially associated (for male and female students) with identification for special education. The model identified a variety of characteristics associated with identification for special education, but only one individual characteristic, self-concept, for which the effect was different for male and female students. Recommendations for secondary education and transition practices and research were offered- related to self-concept with respect to differences across gender, racial/ethnic, and disability status