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Canada is a country composed of 10 provinces and three territories with very limited federal control over the public K- 12 education system. This lack of consistent direction has led to a range of diverse educational policies for educating students with emotional/behavioral disorders (E/ BD). This article investigates the current state of policies related to the education of students with E/ BD. A mail-out survey was submitted to provincial/territorial departments of education and directed to individuals responsible for E/BD programs, composed of questions regarding their government's policies and regulations concerning the education of students with E/BD. A 100% rate of return was achieved. This study found discrepancies across Canada in most areas surveyed, including differences in definitions, diagnosis, identification, prevalence, eligibility, placement, services, administration, funding, and teacher training. Trends toward noncategorization and inclusion exist. Conclusions include the need to balance an inclusive model with consistent identification and service provision, to consider the potential for difficulties in regular classroom placement, to provide population-specific teacher education, and a call for national consistency in the provision of effective identification and programs across Canada for students with E/BD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes special education in Canada. Government control of educational policies; Typical practice in Canadian provinces concerning identification and assessment of students with exceptionalities; Problem with a shrinking teacher population.