Placement of students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment has become a central issue in special education. To date, no comprehensive treatment of placement issues is available, especially for students with emotional and behavioral disorders who present particularly difficult placement problems. This book combines data and discussions intended to further the understanding of how and why decisions are made to place students with emotional or behavioral disorders in particular educational environments. This volume establishes the problem of placement in a contemporary and historical context, reviews the literature on placement of students with emotional or behavioral disorders, and discusses placement options and concerns about multicultural issues, post-secondary education, law and regulation, demands on teachers, and policy choices.

Its goals are to:

* improve understanding of decision processes leading to placement,

* set the stage for improvements in pupils' lives in school and elsewhere, and

* stimulate research on the many placement issues that are left unresolved.