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The efficacy of special education is often measured by employment, independent living and social outcomes. Therefore, the purpose of this review was to synthesize articles concerning outcomes of young adults who have transitioned from secondary school to adult life in rural areas. Articles on transition of young adults with disabilities in rural areas published in numerous refereed journals between 1990 and 1998 were reviewed to determine the rates of employment and independent living. Additional variables included demographics, job types, wages, and benefits. Results indicated that few empirical studies examined special education outcomes for young adults living in rural areas. Studies that did examine employment outcomes indicated that, overall, fewer than 70% of young adults with disabilities in the studies' samples were employed. However, employment outcomes seem to have improved from 1990 to 1997. The synthesis also indicated that, overall, fewer than 40% of young adults with disabilities in rural areas live independently. More research on additional outcomes of employment, independence, and social well-being is called for as well as research on effective transition programs and processes in rural areas.

This article describes the results of a qualitative case study involving the parents of three children of Hawaiian descent living in rural Hawaii. Parents shared their experiences of educational decision-making for their children with disabilities. Results revealed that parents responded to obstacles with a determination to advocate for themselves and their child. Parents defined involvement in educational decision-making as (a) talking with teachers, (b) helping in the classroom, and (c) searching for information regarding special education. They experienced a range of feelings, including fear, insecurity, frustration, intimidation, determination, satisfaction, and pride. Discrepancies between the home culture and school culture which seemed to contribute to discomfort on the part of the parents were (a) the context of the IEP meeting, (b) the skills and behaviors targeted for instruction, and (c) the lack of collaboration at IEP meetings. Implications for professionals working with parents of diverse cultures are discussed.

Service-learning has been implemented successfully as an instructional method in K-12 schools, colleges, and universities. Research indicates that service-learning helps students gain knowledge and skills and increase self-confidence and sense of caring. Service-learning projects in colleges and universities are beneficial to those in many disciplines, including education. This article provides a framework for including service-learning in education courses and introduces an innovative checklist to guide and evaluate service-learning as an instructional strategy. The checklist delineates the four-stage service-learning process: (a) preparation, (b) implementation, (c) assessment/reflection, and (d) demonstration/celebration

Native Hawaiians are an involuntary minority group who became Americans through an overthrow of their monarchy and colonization in the late 1800s. They have a history of separate and substandard schooling, and political and economic oppression. Currently, Native Hawaiians are overrepresented in special education, due in large part to the mismatch between western schooling and Hawaiian culture and speaking Pidgin English as their first language. In addition to overrepresentation, special education issues for Native Hawaiians include conducting unbiased assessment, providing culturally-relevant instruction and behavior management, and supporting families of students with disabilities. These issues overlap significantly with higher education challenges of recruiting and retaining Native Hawaiians in special education teacher preparation programs and developing culturally competent special educators.

Self-regulation skills have been found to be an important predictor of achievement in mathematics. Teaching a student to regulate his or her behavior during independent math work sessions using self-monitoring of performance with selfgraphing focuses him or her on academic performance and results in increases in productivity and math proficiency. This article describes the process of designing and implementing this intervention.

This investigation explored the interactions between paraeducators and the culturally and linguistically diverse families of their students with disabilities. Paraeducators ( n = 117) attending a statewide professional development event responded to a questionnaire designed to explore their interactions with diverse parents and families. Results from the questionnaire allowed investigators to examine (a) the frequency and type of interactions between paraeducators and families in a small, primarily rural, Western state and (b) paraeducators’ perspectives on cultural and communication challenges related to working with diverse families. Paraeducators reported issues related to both communication and culture in their interactions with diverse families.

Response interruption and redirection, commonly referred to as RIR, is an evidence-based intervention that has been demonstrated to quickly reduce moderate to high levels of vocal stereotypy in children with autism spectrum disorder. The RIR intervention is a simple, three-step procedure that can be embedded in classroom instruction with minimal planning. This column describes the procedure and provides a troubleshooting guide to aid practitioners in effectively implementing the RIR behavior management strategy.