In this article, the author discusses Response to Intervention (RtI), a school-wide system of intervention. One of the advantages of RtI in the diagnosis of disabilities is that it allows schools to intervene early to meet the needs of struggling learners. RtI also maps those specific instructional strategies found to benefit a particular student,…

The Baltimore Curriculum Project brought direct instruction (DI) and core knowledge (Core) to several Baltimore City public schools. This article describes implementation of DI and Core at one elementary school, documenting the dramatic growth in student achievement since implementation of DI in reading and examining distractions that interfered…

Researchers and policymakers may be continuing to debate solutions to the nation's reading woes, but many struggling schools appear to have reached a consensus on the subject, even if not by choice. As President Bush's flagship reading initiative hits full stride, it is yielding a more uniform approach to teaching the essential skills to children…

Research has shown mentoring to be a powerful alternative education and dropout prevention strategy for students at risk. This book is designed to help teachers, school administrators, case managers in the juvenile justice system, and others who work with at-risk students develop mentoring programs. Chapter 1, "Teachers Can Restructure Education…

Presenting an in-depth look at alternatives to ability grouping in elementary school reading and language arts programs, this book presents eight essays that offer a variety of practical suggestions and resources for educators interested in moving to or enhancing their use of flexible grouping for reading instruction. The book describes programs…

A collaborative project to build a productive, trusting relationship among university staff and an elementary school staff consisted of initial meetings, involvement with the principal, availability of university staff at the school, classroom visits, classroom management assistance, workshops, and development of classroom projects and a…

The Kindergarten Oral Language Project (KOLP) is a program of the Los Angeles (California) Unified School District. The program is based on Teaching Activities for Language Knowledge and is designed to improve oral language skills of the kindergarten population, identify students at risk for language and speech problems, and decrease incidences of…

Classwide peer tutoring (CWPT) is described as a potential tool for preventing early school failure, with emphasis on three areas relevant to its successful classroom implementation: (1) the classroom program; (2) the administrative model; and (3) implementation quality assessment. Studies showing CWPT's long-term positive effects on academic…

The main goal of the study was to document and describe the beginnings of the implementation of the Strategic Instructional Model at five (5) middle schools in the EPISD. The study also examined Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) data from those students that participated in the program. Methodology: Implementation information was…

This paper provides an overview of the research base on the influence of schools, families, and communities on the learning and educational resilience of children in at-risk circumstances, as well as illustrations of current policies and programmatic approaches that place health development and educational success as integral components of…

Prereferral intervention is designed to reduce referrals for special education placement, by modifying teacher instruction or management of difficult-to-teach (DTT) pupils prior to formal referral. A 3-year project is described in which Mainstream Assistance Teams offer consultation services to teachers in elementary and middle schools. The…

The National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) is a national committee representing 11 organizations concerned about individuals with learning disabilities. The NJCLD considers and discusses contemporary issues in learning disabilities and develops and disseminates reports and statements related to these issues to influence policy…

This is a step-by-step guide to developing a social skills curriculum and designing its instruction. It teaches how to construct assessments and plan interventions to address problems in student social behavior using procedures that can be used to set instructional goals and develop interventions for almost any student who has trouble with social…

This manual was developed to provide training for professional and paraprofessional staff to support at-risk youth. The manual is organized in 14 sections that include the following topics: educational, cultural, and/or social problems; the identification process; the referral process; counseling strategies and techniques; alternative…

The Salvation Army Brunswick (Australia) Job Placement and Training (JPET) project was first established as a recreational project for connecting workers with young people, but it grew to address the educational needs of at-risk youth. Staff working in the program follow a non-conflict, adult education model, emphasizing the development of a…