An Optimal Learning Environment for Rosemary

This article discusses the special education placement and instruction of language-minority children identified as mildly disabled, personified by “Rosemary,” in the context of a curriculum guide recently developed in California, The Optimal Learning Environment (OLE) Curriculum Guide: A Resource for Teachers of Spanish-Speaking Children in Learning Handicapped Programs. The guide was written in response to the growing number of such children and to the lack of direction given to special educators in meeting the educational needs of this population. The instructional principles in the guide are based on research with language-minority students and on those with learning disabilities. The guide incorporates existing, promising materials and techniques for use with language-minority populations.