Improving Instruction For Students With Learning Needs
The challenge of educating students with special learning needs is enormous and daunting. Schools must not only cope with a growing population of students identified as having special needs, but they also face heightened pressure to ensure these students make strides in core academic areas like math and reading. But the challenge is not insurmountable, and exciting new instructional approaches are beginning to show promise. This two-part ASCD SmartBrief Special Report on Improving Instruction For Students With Learning Needs explores the topic in depth, with a focus on identifying successful strategies for education professionals. Part I examines issues associated with instruction, assessment, teacher education and professional development. Part II, scheduled to be published on March 1, takes a look at policy and leadership and presents various perspectives on this difficult and controversial subject.

At a Glance

Professor: Time to scrap the deficit approach to learning disabilities
University of Miami Professor Beth Harry, writing with Janette Klingner, an associate professor at the University of Colorado, says the traditional model of putting resources toward determining whether children have disabilities is often based on ambiguous criteria and has resulted in the over-representation of black and Hispanic children in special education classes. According to Harry and Klingner, a more progressive model of identifying specific instructional needs at early ages is beginning to emerge, posing a challenge to the deficit approach that has prevailed for so long. Educational Leadership (February 2007)

RTI gains traction
The "response-to-intervention" approach has gained substantial momentum among educators as a framework for identifying learning disabilities early in children's academic careers. RTI methodology is quite complex, but the concept is simple: Identifying a child's learning problems early on can significantly increase their chances of succeeding in school. Education Week (11/8)

General ed. teachers ill-prepared for students with disabilities
Teacher candidates in general education often do not get the training they need to handle children with exceptional needs yet they must teach these students with growing frequency, education experts say. Sentinel (East Brunswick, N.J.) (8/31)

Instruction and Assessment

NCLB's goals for students with special needs spark debate
One of the most controversial aspects of the No Child Left Behind Act is a provision that requires students with special learning needs to meet the same academic standards as students in regular classes. While some argue that the ambitious goal is laudable, others say it's unrealistic to expect so much of students who might struggle to keep pace. Congress says it will try to rewrite parts of the law to allow more flexibility for special education students and immigrants, who typically struggle to meet benchmarks. About 10% of students in special-ed take an alternative test under the law, but the Education Department is mulling giving another one-fifth the same tests. San Francisco Chronicle/Associated Press (2/10) The News & Record (Greensboro, N.C.) (3/3)

Kinesiology program helping those with ADHD
Physical education teacher Alicia Miller uses theories of educational kinesiology, or how movement relates to learning, in her training program called Learning Through Movement. The program helps teach students who have ADHD how to concentrate. Herald Community Newspapers (Garden City, N.Y.)/Rockville Centre Herald (2/1)

Response to Intervention: Early diagnosis pays dividends
Early screening for learning disabilities through Response to Intervention programs can help identify problems early in a child's academic career and may prevent academic failures later on, according to recent research. Educational Leadership (February 2007)

California debates exit exam for students in special education
Officials in California are again looking at whether to require students in special education to pass the California High School Exit Exam. All other high school students must pass the test, but a lawsuit exempted students in special ed from that requirement last year. The Sacramento Bee (Calif.) (free registration) (2/15)

Two schools, two approaches to autism
This issue of TIME magazine devotes several articles to autism. One piece profiles two New Jersey schools for children with autism: the Alpine school, which practices the widely accepted Applied Behavior Analysis, and Celebrate the Children, which uses the increasingly popular developmental, individual-difference, relationship-based method known as DIR.

Professional Development

D.C. educator tells of successes, frustrations in special-ed classrooms
Samantha Cleaver, a special education teacher for District of Columbia Public Schools, recounts some of her most frustrating and most successful moments as a Teaching Fellow at H.D. Cooke Elementary, which serves primarily black and Hispanic children. Cleaver tells of times she was hit, times she made breakthroughs, times she was helped by amazing leaders and times she simply had to take a day off. What emerges from Cleaver's story is a true picture of what teachers and other school staff in difficult schools face on a daily basis. The Washington Post (2/18)

New Jersey districts boost special-ed training for general-ed teachers
Some New Jersey educators and advocates worry that as more children with disabilities move into mainstream, many general-ed teachers lack the training they need to support such youngsters. Although state colleges have been retooling their education courses recently to address more special-ed topics, most training regarding students with disabilities occurs at the district level. The Record (Hackensack, N.J.) (12/10)

Teachers: Train us more for dyslexic children
A study from the U.K.'s National Union of Teachers found that as many as 77% said they need more training to help students with special needs, especially those who have dyslexia. The Independent (London) (1/9)

Secrets to successful differentiated instruction unlocked
Developing differentiated instruction strategies takes significant time and effort, but the payoff can be huge, particularly for students with special needs, says Carol Ann Tomlinson of the University of Virginia. According to Tomlinson, teacher leaders should focus on helping educators concentrate on four basic fundamentals to achieve success in their classrooms:

• View students as individuals.
• Be clear about what students should know.
• Master instructional practices that "invite student-centeredness and flexibility."
• Develop classroom management skills that facilitate flexible teaching.

Expert: Australian schools lack skills in handling students with ADHD
Remedial intervention and other traditional teaching methods can cause students with ADHD to become more resistant, while strategies that support or engage them can help wean them from medication, says Australian ADHD expert Brenton Prosser. He suggests teachers of children with hyperactivity problems not schedule tests after recess or lunch break. The Australian (11/27)

ASCD Resources

Books, articles and other resources

Article: The Whole Child: A Framework for Education in the 21st Century

Book: Creating an Inclusive School, 2nd Edition

Article: Excluded from Success: The Overrepresentation of Minority Students in Special Education

Online course: Using Assessment in the Differentiated Classroom

Video: How to Coteach to Meet Diverse Student Needs

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