SPECIAL EDUCATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

SPECIAL EDUCATION - Essay Example As of 1992, when this study was initiated, special education class size and class mix standards in the State had not changed since the 1970s. Evidence of the need to evaluate these standards in light of changing practices included: 1) an increase in the number and types of waivers requested by local school divisions; 2) an increase in parent and advocate complaints about approved waivers; and 3) a consensus of key stakeholders that the standards might have become too rigid for determining appropriate programs for individual students. The study, conducted by The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) in conjunction with researchers from the Virginia Polytechnic University and the University of Virginia, gathered information designed to enable the Superintendent of Schools and State Board of Education to determine those areas in which the special education standards are successful or need improvement. The project team examined two primary research questions: Investigators took a stakeholder-based approach to answering the research questions. Stakeholders were chosen to represent diverse constituencies with disparate views on the key issues and high stakes in the outcome of the program standards study. The composition of the stakeholder group was carefully balanced with the aim of promoting a common framework for understanding the issues involved in analyzing and developing policy. The larger stakeholder group of 73 members included local school board members; principals; directors of special education; general, vocational, and special education teachers; parents; students; and VDOE staff. This group provided input concerning all aspects of the study. Seventeen representatives of the larger group formed the stakeholder steering team, which was actively involved in designing the instruments, collecting data, and formulating recommendations. Study activities were carried out in three phases. During

American desire to modernise third world countries fuelled the Vietnam Research Paper

American desire to modernise third world countries fuelled the Vietnam war - Research Paper Example Therefore third world countries such as Vietnam rebelled because it needed more freedom and political independence (Darby 2007). Mark Berger, in his article: â€Å"Decolonisation, modernization and nation building† explains that the US fused pacification and modernization theory in its search for the appropriate combination of civil and security reforms in the hamlets of Vietnam. The US sought a coherent plan to jumpstart the economic and social development in Vietnam. The military was perceived to play a major role in modernization and pacification. This was because the US believed that security was a precondition for growth and sustained development (Escobar 2005). As such, the US built and strengthened the Vietnamese army over the period of modernization and economic intervention. The army was trained in US military bases on how to keep peace and fight insecurities in all areas of the country. The US combined efforts with the United Nations Security Council in strengthening the army. This resulted in capable armed forces that kept the country secure. With time, the Vietnamese army became powerful and needed to gain autonomy from the US policies and intervention. The army manufactured its own military weapons and was able to fund its own programs. This made it easy to wage the Vietnam War and resist US imperialism. The article further argues that modernization theory gained policy and academic prominence in Vietnam.