The career of psychologist Samuel Kirk, the "father" of learning disabilities (LD), is reviewed. Noted are his professional career, his dedication to scholarship and inquiry, his continued involvement with people with LD, his ability to integrate knowledge from different disciplines, his creative use of research, his preparation of other…

This tribute to Samuel Kirk, an early leader in the field of learning disabilities, is written by a former student. It focuses on his experiences and contributions while at Milwaukee State Teachers College (Wisconsin). Kirk's supervision of practice teaching, his role as an editor and co-author, and his ideas about teaching reading are recounted.…

Children with learning disabilities in four types of special education settings were compared in terms of social acceptance, number of friends, quality of relationship with best friends, self-concept, loneliness, depression, social skills, and problem behaviors. Two of the placements (In-Class Support and Resource Room) were for children with mild…

This tribute to Samuel Kirk, an early leader in the field of learning disabilities, focuses on his conceptualization of the diagnostic-prescriptive approach and his work on cognitive processing and intra-individual differences. His work is seen as leading to the recognition of the importance of early intervention, the role of process training, and…

This tribute to Samuel Kirk, an early leader in the field of learning disabilities, focuses on two of his powerful ideas and their effect on the author's work and later research. The first idea is that effective teaching requires knowing the students well, and the second idea is that explicit instruction in skills and strategies based on known…

This 3-year Model Demonstration Project involved the development and field testing of an individualized course-specific strategy instruction model with college students with learning disabilities and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The 46 participants received individualized semester-long strategy instruction by graduate students…

This tribute to Samuel Kirk, an early leader in the field of learning disabilities, describes his prominent achievements in reading instruction, including research in remedial reading and identification of reading instruction principles such as stages of reading development, importance of prereading abilities, and the need for explicit, systematic…

Structured interviews with 150 elementary students with learning disabilities found that they accurately perceived that special education is intended to provide extra help for children with academic problems. Students reported they liked special education classes, though some missed instruction or recreational activities in their mainstream class…

A study explored classroom reading assessments, IQ and achievement scores, and placement decision of 26 students referred to Student Study Teams for intervention and determination of special-education eligibility. Congruence was moderate between placement decisions and discrepancy-based determination of learning disabilities and between placement…

Two analyses are provided to demonstrate that the population of students with learning disabilities is distinct from the population of low-achievers. Reasons for different interpretations of Bob Algozzine and colleagues' research are suggested. Assumptions surrounding the reality of learning disability are explored, as are differing perceptions…

This tribute to Samuel Kirk, an early leader in the field of learning disabilities, is written by one of his doctoral students. It focuses on his contributions to teacher education and uses a mnemonic device (his name) to summarize contributions related to such areas as scientific inquiry, assessment, mainstreaming, kinesthetic/phonics methods,…

Proposes a treatment-validity model for the identification of learning disabilities. The four-phase eligibility-assessment process would include evaluating adaptations in the regular classroom and verifying the effectiveness of special education before placement. Considers the technical requirements of this alternative eligibility process, and the…

This article discusses a 2-year study involving 27 special educators of elementary and middle schools and 47 students with learning disabilities that explored the effects of using curriculum-based measurement and transenvironmental programming, each alone and in combination, for readying students to move from resource rooms to regular classrooms…