Special educators are urged to use research findings to inform their instruction in order to improve student outcomes. However, it can be difficult to tell whether and how research findings apply to one's own students. In this article, we discuss how special educators can consider the samples and the sampling methods in studies to examine the…

A major tenet of both the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the No Child Left Behind Act is the identification and use of evidence-based practices, or those instructional techniques shown by research as most likely to improve student outcomes meaningfully. However, much confusion exists regarding the meaning and potential…

Using evidence-based practices, or those instructional techniques shown by research to improve student outcomes meaningfully, increases the performance of students with disabilities and should therefore be a priority for special educators. But how does a practice come to be considered evidence based? The unique characteristics of group…

In response to recent trends and legislation, the concept of implementing evidence-based practices has become a critical component of contemporary schooling. It is important that teachers and families of students with disabilities understand the role that qualitative research plays in determining whether a practice is in fact evidence based.…

This digest looks at research findings and instructional applications of effective teacher presentation skills. Research has identified five critical skills: eliciting frequent responses, maintaining an appropriate pace during the lesson, maintaining attention, monitoring student responses and adjusting the lesson, and ensuring all students an…

There has been an increasing focus on evidence-based practices in special education with efforts underway to authoritatively identify those practices that are evidence based. However, the identification of evidence-based practices is only the beginning of the process of implementing evidence-based special education. The professional wisdom of…

This article describes a process that teachers can use to translate information in research studies into practical lesson plans. Examples are drawn from the self-determination literature to illustrate how to identify the objective of the study, setting and materials, content taught, teaching procedure, and method of evaluation. (Contains…

The role of theory-based research in early childhood special education is examined, including the relevance of such research at different phases of teachers' careers. It is recommended that professional education provide teachers with skills to construct personalized theories of effective educational practices and to evaluate their theories.…

This article reviews key findings from school-reform studies of the 1980s on sustained use of effective teacher practices in the classroom and explains their relevance to special education. Recent findings are also highlighted and unresolved issues are identified. An appendix lists sustainability factors and issues. (Contains references.)…

A study evaluated the Research Lead Teacher (RLT) model in providing follow-up support to 18 general elementary education teachers who were learning and implementing a strategy instruction process. Data indicate it took between 3-9 weeks of the RLT model for teachers to consistently implement all the steps of strategy instruction. (Contains…

A survey of preservice and inservice teachers indicated high levels of expressed satisfaction with their special education methods course that focused on precision teaching. Approximately 50% had used the procedures since completion of the course in the content areas of geography, math, reading, science, vocabulary, spelling, sight vocabulary, and…

This response to Rule et al. (EC 620 843) concerning translating research on naturalistic instruction into early-intervention practice with young children with disabilities raises concerns about treatment fidelity in such research studies, and notes the existence of pioneering models for studying treatment fidelity. (DB)

This response to Rule et al. (EC 620 843) concerning translating research on naturalistic instruction into early intervention practice with young children with disabilities questions whether the main features of naturalistic instruction are often fully implemented, and suggests that following the suggested guidelines might lead to actually…

Results from a survey of 199 secondary special education teachers indicate they employ a variety of instructional strategies, some judged more effective than others, and that their use of instructional methods does not appear to significantly change with the number of years of their experience nor necessarily parallel effective practice. (Contains…

This article reports on research on the effectiveness of a peer-assisted learning strategy (PALS) intervention to develop fluency in beginning readers with and without disabilities. Pairs of students complete phonically based activities and then repeated readings of a shared text. Evaluation indicated that the peer-mediated, repeated reading…