Sally Smith's contribution to the world of children with learning disabilities is well documented, particularly by the other contributors to this journal. An area deserving attention, but one usually overlooked, is Smith's understanding of the parent's perspective--the challenges of parenting a child with learning disabilities. It was a priceless…

The legal basis for serving students with learning disabilities at the K-12 level is predominantly derived from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This federal law provides for substantive education support for students with learning disabilities through an Individualized Educational Program (IEP). However, because the IDEA…

In this article, the authors recall how the Academy in Manayunk adopted the famous Sally Smith's club methodology. They share how the influence of Smith pushed the school faculty and staff to create a school that focuses on the individual child and celebrates the unique talents and interests that each brings to the learning community. It is based…

What this author admired most about Sally Smith was the fact that she was a visionary about people and what they could accomplish. She saw more potential in a person--young or old--than anybody or even they themselves, frankly, had ever even considered possible. She was a genius at seeing the potential in people, expecting them to find it in…

The authors encourage caution in the implementation of Response to Intervention and dispel the false hopes that Response to Intervention will solve many of education's challenges. Outlined in this article are the reasons why Response to Intervention cannot be the solution to the identification of students for special education, why it can't…

Students with learning disabilities have significantly lower achievement in math and science than students from the general population. If these students with learning disabilities also are English Learners, the challenges for success in math and science are even more difficult. Teachers need to infuse best practices into their classrooms to…

This article examines the broad array of adult literacy program alternatives currently available. These include government-funded adult education programs, such as Adult Basic Education and Even Start, volunteer programs such as Laubach Literacy Action and Literacy Volunteers of America, business and industry sponsored programs, community-based…

In this article, the author shares her memories of Sally Smith, the founder of The Lab School of Washington, where she works as the director of the Occupational Therapy. When the author first met Smith, Smith asked her what brought her to The Lab School at that point in her career. She told Smith that her background was rather eclectic, since she…

The University of Arizona Strategic Alternative Learning Techniques (SALT) Center is profiled. The Center provides students with learning disabilities the skills and services needed during undergraduate experiences so that success is achieved when they enter graduate or professional programs. Data associated with the success of the SALT Center are…

Daegu University has enjoyed a long and remarkable history of special education. Daegu University is large University located in Daegu, South Korea, a large city in South Korea that is south of Seoul. Since the 1970's, South Korea has achieved unusual and comprehensive growth in its economy, and the field of special education continued to thrive…

By making the general curriculum the reference point for all considerations, The New Era proposals set forth by the President's Commission are devoid of all considerations of individual differences. Rather than tailoring IEP's to the particular learning characteristics of individual children, it is suggested that one kind of good, scientifically…

Describes the five learning disability research centers that make up the collaborative research network of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Highlights the teams and focus of the centers, and identifies the findings of the centers and issues that need to be examined. (CR)

In this article, we summarize the findings from eight separate focus group studies, conducted with various stakeholders--special education teachers, general education teachers, administrators, school psychologists, students with learning disabilities, parents of students with learning disabilities, teacher educators, and higher education faculty…

This article on the use of community resources by families of young children with special needs discusses the rationale for the use of community resources in federal legislation, strategies for building resources, barriers to the use of community resources, and recommendations for increasing the use of community resources. (CR)

This article describes the collaborative development of a Master's level program in a competency-based interdisciplinary teacher preparation program emphasizing inclusion and a learning community approach. University, state department, and school district experts collaborated to develop program components, activities, and specific courses. The…