Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: We propose a general theory of legislative issue specialization. We then test this theory using multi-level statistical techniques and individual-level survey data on legislative specialization across the states (in 1995 and 1992).

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Students who are identified as needing special academic services such as special placements or remedial classes are frequently viewed as academic failures. School failure is often a candidate variable for explaining enhanced risk for involvement in delinquent activity. Three models have been proposed to explain the link between special academic services and delinquency: the school failure hypothesis, the susceptibility hypothesis, and the differential processing hypothesis. Due to limitations in previous research examining these theoretical relationships, the model most useful for explaining the association has yet to be determined. Temporal relationships have been difficult to address because of cross-sectional designs in prior research. This study tests these three distinct models using prospective longitudinal data from the youngest sample of the Pittsburgh Youth Study, which allows us to disentangle the temporal ordering among variables. We also compare lagged and contemporaneous effects between school variables and delinquent behavior. The significance of the research is addressed as well as the policy implications of our results.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Do specially elected members play any different role in Democrat and Republican strategies for gaining, maintaining, or increasing their margin in the House? If the Republicans pick up a seat via special election close to a midterm election do they value that pickup more than one that occurs through the course of a normal election cycle? One way we can test for party strategies is to assess the initial committee assignments for these specially elected members. Taking all the regular freshmen and their special elected counterparts from the 88th to the 107th Congresses we will compare and contrast their assignments under various circumstances. Among the factors that we will test for are the political conditions under which these members acquire office. If the Republican pickup was during a time when they were in the majority, yet their margin was slim, would they give the member a better committee assignment than Democrats would a pickup while they were in the minority with a large deficit? Even beyond these considerations the question of determining the quality of a committee assignment will be addressed on varying levels of specificity, ranging from the member’s actual ranks on the committees in question, to the overall historical desirability of the committees in question, to the member specific desirability of the committee assignment.

Publication Type: Roundtable
Abstract: This roundtable will describe a collaborative project that created modular, web-based training to help special education teachers become highly qualified to teach core academic content in reading and mathematics.

Publication Type: Abstract
Abstract: Objective: Pharmacy students must become competent in interacting and communicating with persons of differing levels of cognition and ability. This study will assess students’ attitudes and skills developed regarding interacting with special needs populations.

Methods: A survey designed to assess attitudes and skills improvement in interactions with special needs persons was given to students at the end of their first semester of P1 year. The investigators wanted to ascertain the student’s attitudes and self-perception of skills related to two imbedded assignments in the course that dealt with communicating with special needs adults and children. After didactic instruction regarding learning styles and teaching strategies, student teams were assigned to visit a pre-arranged site to complete a project with a group of special needs children. Students also chose a drug from Top 50 drugs list and created an informational page describing this drug for a patient with a visual learning preference.

Results: Based on a likert-type scale, a majority of students reported an increase in knowledge through the development of drug information for a visual learner. Students also reported an increase in skills and empathy for patients with special needs.

Conclusions:
The survey will help the researchers to modify teaching modalities, assignments and assessments for this subject matter to better prepare students for the eventuality of interacting with special needs patients. The course enables students to put into practice the skills obtained for interaction with special needs patients. The survey helped students reflect on the appropriate attitudes necessary for providing care to patient with special needs.