NEW YORK, May 11, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- This week's Wall Street Journal Weekend Edition centerpiece will focus on educational mainstreaming for special-needs students and the difficulties surrounding the issue. The week's Weekend Edition will be available via home delivery and newsstands on May 12-13.
In 1975, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act brought more special-needs students into public schools and regular classrooms.
"By mixing with the nondisabled children, the theory went, special needs students would learn more, behave better and gain social acceptance," write Daniel Golden and Rob Tomsho, Journal reporters in this week's Weekend Edition. "But, like the 1970s push to deinstitutionalize mentally ill adults, educational mainstreaming has produced troubling side effects. While many benefit, some special-needs students flounder in regular programs. Lacking adequate funding, public schools often have trouble paying for the services such students need."
Some of the troubling statistics highlighted in this week's centerpiece include:
-- In 2001, the federal government's General Accounting Office found
50 incidents of serious misconduct -- such as violent behavior or
bringing weapons to school -- for every 1,000 special-education
students in middle school and high school, compared to 15 for every
1,000 general-education students.
-- In Texas, Missouri and Minnesota, special-education students are
suspended at roughly twice the rate of regular students.
Special-education students are suspended at four times the rate of
regular students in large school districts in Florida and Virginia.
-- In Massachusetts, special-education students account for 16 percent
of enrollment, but were responsible for more than half of all
incidents involving weapons, assaults or physical threats in the
2005-06 school year.
Additional stories appearing in this week's Weekend Edition of the Wall Street Journal include:
Money & Investing:
-- Currency Games: As the U.S. dollar hovers near its historic low,
companies are churning out a slew of products for individuals to
play the currency game. At least 15 currency-oriented products have
been launched within the past year -- some are versions of the
traditional mutual funds, while others are completely new
structures that can be traded on an exchange like a stock.
-- Diamonds: The diamond trade is changing rapidly in the wake of De
Beers' decision a few years ago to loosen its grip on the business.
It's spawned a crop of new companies around the globe to
aggressively start searching for new mines, as global demand soars
from places like India and China.
Pursuits:
-- Golf Book Review by Dan Quayle: The former vice president, an avid
golfer, reviews John Feinstein's "Tales From Q School: Inside Golf's
Fifth Major," which looks at the event in which marginal golfers try
to qualify for the PGA Tour. He finds it full of heart (though with
some questionable political tangents) and entertaining -- at least for
golf fans.
-- Discount Travel in Europe: From the Mediterranean to Poland,
discount airlines in Europe are aggressively opening up
undiscovered beach resorts and historic towns that were previously
little known or hard to get to. Now they've turned into an easy,
inexpensive side trip from major European capitals. But for some of
these towns, the invasion of bargain-basement tourists comes at a
price.
-- Fashion Rentals: With fashion cycles moving faster and demand for
the season's "It" dress or must-have bag increasing, a number of
businesses are offering clothing and accessory rentals as ways to
wear a piece without breaking the bank. The services operate in a
fashion similar to traditional tuxedo or bridal gown rentals but
tend to focus on high-end designer fare.
About The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal, the flagship publication of Dow Jones & Company (NYSE:DJ) (www.dowjones.com), is the world's leading business publication. Founded in 1889, The Wall Street Journal has a print and online circulation of nearly 2.1 million, reaching the nation's top business and political leaders, as well as investors across the country. Holding 31 Pulitzer Prizes for outstanding journalism, The Wall Street Journal provides readers with trusted information and knowledge to make better decisions. The Wall Street Journal print franchise has more than 600 journalists world-wide, part of the Dow Jones network of nearly 1,800 business and financial news staff. Other publications that are part of The Wall Street Journal franchise, with total circulation of 2.6 million, include The Wall Street Journal Asia, The Wall Street Journal Europe and The Wall Street Journal Online at WSJ.com, the largest paid subscription news site on the Web. In 2006, the Journal was ranked No. 1 in BtoB's Media Power 50 for the seventh consecutive year.
The WSJ Weekend Edition logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3504
Editor's Note: WSJ reporters are available to discuss these topics.