More and more students with learning disabilities and other diverse learners are placed for instruction in general education classrooms, which often leaves teachers grappling to design successful peer interactions and literacy activities to meet the needs of all learners in their classrooms. As the shift is made to align literacy instruction to…

English Learners (ELs) have become a significant part of classrooms in the United States, posing a challenge for teachers to provide an equitable education. Inadequate training and a weak understanding of bilingual students' literacy and language development make it difficult for teachers to make instructional decisions for reading instruction.…

Several strategies that demonstrate promise are available for educators to improve reading comprehension outcomes for students. However, some students, including students with and at risk for learning disabilities, require more intensive supports to develop proficiency in reading comprehension. To support these students, teachers must intensify…

Secondary content-area teachers seldom use research-based practices for students with learning disabilities (LD), and prior research indicates they often conceptualize instruction in ways that align poorly with research about effective instruction for students with LD. However, prior research has focused on typical secondary content-area teachers,…

The purpose of this research overview is to analyse literature on dyslexia and to identify and evaluate a range of inclusive classroom strategies which can influence the educational achievement of students with dyslexia. Tunmer and Greaney (2010) define dyslexia as "persistent learning difficulties" (p. 239) which present in…

Language and literacy skills are critical for academic success. Shared book reading is an evidence-based practice for improving a range of language and literacy skills in young children, including those with or at risk for learning disabilities. This article describes how teachers and speech-language pathologists (SLP) can collaborate to support…

Progressing through schools may be challenging for some students, especially those with learning disabilities (LD). In social studies, for example, students grapple with increasingly complex texts, independent work, direct instruction, critical thinking, analysis, and other learning demands. As students transition from elementary schools where…

Research identifies the alphabetic principle as a vital step in literacy development and validates Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF) measures as early predictors of reading success. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the NWF assessment process used to measure the alphabetic principle is culturally valid for early elementary Hmong…

This study presents findings from a survey of secondary special education teachers who teach reading to students with learning disabilities (LD). Respondents were 392 special education teachers from a large Midwestern State who completed an online or paper survey. Results indicate predominant foci of secondary special education teachers' reading…

The number of English learners continues to increase in the United States. Additionally, many English learners will experience language and learning disabilities. These students require specialized instruction by highly qualified educators. This article addresses the various cross-language strategies that can benefit English learners with…

Structured Literacy (SL) approaches are often recommended for students with dyslexia and other poor decoders (e.g., International Dyslexia Association, 2017). Examples of SL approaches include the Wilson Reading System (Wilson, 1988), Orton-Gillingham (Gillingham & Stillman, 2014), the Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program (Lindamood &…

Children with learning disabilities can be as sharp as their peers; however, they may find it challenging to write, read, reason out information, spell things correctly, or process information. Due to this, it is critical for students to understand the ways of learning that suit them the best. They may not be aware of the different ways they can…

This study examines culturally responsive pedagogy across the fields of special education, multicultural literacy education, and teaching English language learners. A systematic review of recommendations identified culturally responsive practices in five key areas: dialogue, collaboration, visual representation, explicit instruction, and inquiry.…

Two professional development (PD) models for teachers were compared on teacher and student outcomes. Special education teachers participated in Literacy Learning Cohorts (LLC), a PD innovation designed to improve content and pedagogical knowledge for providing reading instruction to upper elementary students with learning disabilities. The LLC,…

Literacy acquisition is imperative to successful academic progress and to successful participation in our society. Students with identified learning disabilities are often among those who struggle to acquire literacy skills. The following dissertation shares the results of a reading intervention study in which nine students with identified…