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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. (Contains 5 tables.)

This article describes special education in Canada including procedures for identifying children with disabilities, student evaluation, programming for students with exceptionalities, and student placement. It also explores current issues of concern: a shrinking teacher population, fiscal restraints, and access to special education services in remote areas. (Contains references.) (CR)

This article describes legislative and policy provisions that support educational services for children with disabilities in Ontario. It presents an overview of special education procedures for the identification, placement, and review of students with disabilities, the development of the Individual Education Plan, and special education funding. (Contains 6 references.) (CR)