Promoting access, accommodations, and independence for college students with learning disabilities.

This article focuses on the four primary issues that directly affect service delivery to students with learning disabilities in postsecondary settings, including (a) How are high school and post-secondary settings different? (b) How are eligibility and access determined? (c) How are reasonable accommodations determined? and (d) How can the independence level of college students with learning disabilities be fostered? Each of these issues will be discussed within the context of the student's transition from high school, where Public Law 94-142 is in effect, to college, where Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 applies.     

Planning for a pandemic influenza outbreak: roles for librarian liaisons in emergency delivery of educational programs

In February 2006, two librarians at the University of Minnesota's Bio-Medical Library were asked to participate in a task force at the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health (SPH). The charge from the dean of SPH was to determine how the school could continue to deliver its educational programs in the event of a pandemic influenza outbreak. This paper will outline the work of the task force, discuss its recommendations, and offer ideas on how other librarians can work with their liaison areas to plan for a similar project.     

Peer Group Norms and Accountability Moderate the Effect of School Norms on Children's Intergroup Attitudes

The present study examined the interactive effects of school norms, peer norms, and accountability on children's intergroup attitudes. Participants (n = 229) aged 5–11 years, in a between‐subjects design, were randomly assigned to a peer group with an inclusion or exclusion norm, learned their school either had an inclusion norm or not, and were accountable to either their peer group, teachers, or nobody. Findings indicated, irrespective of age, that an inclusive school norm was less effective when the peer group had an exclusive norm and children were held accountable to their peers or teachers. These findings support social identity development theory (D. Nesdale, 2004, 2007), which expects both the in‐group peer and school norm to influence children's intergroup attitudes.     

Methods of analysis and overall mathematics teaching quality in at-risk prekindergarten classrooms

Research Findings: This study analyzed the quality of teacher–child interactions across 10 videotaped observations drawn from 5 different prekindergarten classrooms delivering the same mathematics curriculum: MyTeachingPartner–Math. Interactions were coded using 2 observational measures: (a) a general measure, the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS); and (b) a math-specific measure, the Classroom Observation of Early Mathematics–Environment and Teaching (COEMET). Practice or Policy: High correlations were found between the 2 measures, suggesting that the CLASS may serve as a sufficient metric to determine the quality of mathematics instruction in prekindergarten, though the COEMET may provide finer grained detail about teachers’ practice. Results indicate that the quality of mathematics instruction provided by teachers generally fell in the low- to medium-quality range and did not differ significantly across curriculum-related contextual factors.     

Undergraduate admission policies, practices, and procedures for applicants with learning disabilities.

This study examined (a) the academic and nonacademic criteria used by admission personnel to determine the eligibility of undergraduate applicants with learning disabilities, (b) agreement of criteria used by institutions of varying competitiveness, and (c) the frequency with which admission personnel conduct validity studies on these criteria. A nonrandom sample consisting of 66 state universities and colleges in the Northeast was surveyed. The results suggest that the academic and nonacademic criteria employed are similar to those employed for applicants without learning disabilities, the criteria used by different types of institutions differ significantly, and admission personnel do not conduct validity studies. Further clarification and validation of admission criteria appears warranted.     

Employment self-disclosure of postsecondary graduates with learning disabilities: rates and rationales

One hundred thirty-two graduates with learning disabilities (LD) of a large, public, competitive postsecondary institution were surveyed to determine if they had self-disclosed their LD to their current employer and to provide the reasons for choosing to self-disclose or not to self-disclose. Based on a response rate of 67.4% (n = 89), the results indicated that 86.5% of the respondents were employed full time. Although nearly 90% of the respondents stated that their LD affected their work in some way, only 30.3% self-disclosed to their employer. Of those who had not self-disclosed, the majority reported that there was no reason or need to self-disclose. However, 46.1% reported not self-disclosing due to fear of a potentially negative impact in the workplace or due to a concern for job security. Specific rationales for disclosure and information related to the use of self-reported accommodations and strategies are presented.