This study investigates attitudes toward disability held by children with disabilities and average- and high-achieving children, and the latter two groups' experiences in inclusive elementary classrooms. Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons Form-Scale (ATDP; Yuker, Block, & Young, 1966) responses did not differ. Females were more accepting. Children…

The purpose of this article is to inform teachers about the dangers of misalignment between core (Tier 1) instruction and Tiers 2 and 3 supplementary instruction for struggling readers and students with learning disabilities. Misalignment between core and supplementary instruction is problematic for students at risk of academic failure because it…

Promoting independence in all students is one important part of education. It can be difficult for educators to identify meaningful tasks that students with severe disabilities can complete with full independence. By incorporating visual supports into a student's independent work, the teacher is providing the student with an opportunity to…

Nurturing potential is a critical aspect of development for young children with and without disabilities, especially if a child is gifted. This article provides resources that offer ideas for family members and professionals on how to recognize and support each child's strengths. Many of the materials specifically address nurturing potential in…

Jacob, Bart, and Carl are children with intellectual disabilities (ID; i.e., mental retardation) who experience significant difficulty in learning to read. In the past, most research about reading methods for students with ID focused on teaching students to memorize sight words, a method that is clearly effective. Memorization of sight words is…

This article describes a data-based continuous-improvement framework that can help school teams use what the authors call "systems-level data" to support teachers in achieving successful beginning reading outcomes for all students. The authors also furnish an example of an elementary school in the Pacific Northwest that uses such a framework to…

Students participate in a "social community" of learners. For children with learning problems, mastering the skills needed to actively participate in this community can be a challenge. How can teachers find time to provide social skills instruction, given the pressures to teach academic subjects first and foremost? This article shows school…

This study investigated whether 2 different progress monitoring assessments differentially predicted growth in reading skills associated with systematic phonics instruction. Oral reading fluency (ORE) was compared with an intervention aligned word list (IAWL) as predictors of growth in untimed and timed decoding and word identification and text…

This article describes a project in which researchers at VSA arts, an international nonprofit organization, attempted to determine the value of embedded arts education (sometimes called "arts integration") for students with disabilities. As part of the mandate of VSA arts to encourage the use of the arts in teaching students with disabilities, the…

Learning to write is a complex process that depends on mastering a variety of processes and skills, including how to plan compositions and regulate writing behavior. One approach that has been used successfully to teach both good and poor writers such processes is Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD). With SRSD, students are taught…

Twenty-nine elementary teachers participated in a 2-week summer reading institute and received follow-up support. Teachers identified as high implementers, moderate implementers, and low implementers lamented a lack of instructional time, however, high-implementing teachers reported administrative support as their top facilitator, while five…

A study examined the effect of self-determination contracts for 8 students (ages 9-10) with severe emotional/behavioral problems. Students completed daily self-determination contracts to schedule their work, plan for work outcomes, evaluate progress, and adjust for the next day's activity. Pre- and post-assessment found significant academic…

A study trained 10 5-year-old typical children, 11 5-year-old gifted children, and 11 7-year-old typical children on strategy use. Several differences among groups were found, generally favoring the gifted children in terms of performance and maintenance of strategies. In addition, the gifted children seemed to use categorization strategies…

Interviews with 21 general education elementary school teachers found they were generally positive about cooperative learning's efficacy for students with learning problems, while acknowledging that it worked better for some students than others. Major benefits were improved self-esteem, a safe learning environment, and better classroom success…

A study investigated the effectiveness of a general education/special education collaborative teaming process on six elementary students, three with severe disabilities and three academically at-risk. Consistent implementation of the plans of support by team members was associated with increases in academic skills, engagement in classroom…