Sources for Instructional Practices
These resources for information on instructional practices have been chosen because they provide reliable information and are relevant for teachers of students with learning disabilities.
Research
Centers
University
of Kansas Center for Research on Learning
University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning is an organization
noted for creating instructional solutions that dramatically improve quality
of life, learning, and performance for students with disabilities. Researchers
at the center have developed the Strategic Instruction Model (SIM), a
comprehensive group of strategies that include revised curriculum materials
and teaching routines to address the needs of learners in their classrooms.
The Center offers training and professional development programs.
[http://www.ku-crl.org/]
Center
on Accelerating Student Learning (CASL)
CASL is a research effort to create instructional programs that will accelerate
learning for students with disabilities in the early grades and thereby
provide a solid foundation for strong achievement in the intermediate
grades and beyond. CASL is a five-year collaborative effort supported
by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs
(OSEP). Participating institutions are the University of Maryland, Teachers
College of Columbia University, and Vanderbilt University. Visit the Outreach
section of the CASL Web site for information on ordering materials to
use in the classroom.
[http://kc.vanderbilt.edu/CASL/index.html]
Peer
Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS)
Developed through research at Vanderbilt University, PALS is a version
of classwide peer tutoring that combines proven instructional principles
and practices and peer mediation so that research-based reading and math
activities are effective, feasible, and enjoyable. Visit the PALS Web
site for information about how to implement PALS in the classroom.
[http://kc.vanderbilt.edu/kennedy/pals/]
Institute
for Academic Access
The Institute for Academic Access is conducting research to create instructional
methods and materials that will provide secondary students with disabilities
authentic access to the high school general education curriculum. It is
a five-year, three-site, federally funded collaborative project of the
University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning (KU-CRL) and the
University of Oregon Institute for the Development of Educational Achievement
(UO-IDEA). Each Web site provides information about instructional strategies.
[http://kucrl.org/IAA%20Web/index.html]
National
Assistive Technology Research Institute (NATRI)
The NATRI conducts research related to the planning, development, implementation,
and evaluation of assistive technology (AT) services in schools.
NATRI works to identify promising practices in the
delivery of AT services and to disseminate research findings and information
about promising practices. The Web site provides resources, information,
and training opportunities.
[http://natri.uky.edu/]
Center
for Electronic Studying
CES is a research and development group at the University of Oregon College
of Education investigating innovative applications of technology for middle
school, secondary, and post-secondary students, their teachers and their
schools. Their Web site offers information and resources about the projects
currently under investigation.
[http://ces.uoregon.edu/]
Online
Academy
The Online Academy develops web-based modules and other technology innovations
for moving validated educational interventions from research to practice.
Currently, the Web site offers instructional modules for teachers in the
areas of reading, technology, and positive behavioral support. It is funded
by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) at the U. S. Department
of Education.
[http://www.onlineacademy.org]
National
Center to Improve the Tools of Educators
This center is through the University of Oregon and provides research
reports and online documents to help improve teaching.
[http://idea.uoregon.edu/~ncite/index.html]
OSEP
Technical Assistance Center for Positive Behavioral Supports (PBIS)
PBIS has been established by the Office of Special Education Programs,
US Department of Education, to give schools capacity-building information
and technical assistance for identifying, adapting, and sustaining effective
school-wide disciplinary practices. The center has two foci: (a) broad
dissemination to schools, families, and communities about a technology
of school-wide positive behavioral interventions and support and (b) demonstrations
at the level of individual students, schools, districts, and states that
school-wide positive behavioral interventions and support are feasible
and effective.
[http://www.pbis.org/english/]
National
Center on Accessing the General Curriculum (NCAC)
In a collaborative agreement with the U.S. Department of Education's Office
of Special Programs (OSEP), CAST has established a National Center on
Accessing the General Curriculum to provide a vision of how new curricula,
teaching practices, and policies can be woven together to create practical
approaches for improved access to the general curriculum by students with
disabilities.
[http://www.cast.org/ncac/]
Center
for Effective Collaboration and Practice (CECP)
It is the mission of the Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice
to support and promote a reoriented national preparedness to foster the
development and the adjustment of children with or at risk of developing
serious emotional disturbance. To achieve that goal, the Center is dedicated
to a policy of collaboration at Federal, state, and local levels that
contributes to and facilitates the production, exchange, and use of knowledge
about effective practices.
[http://www.cecp.air.org]
Other
Sources
Federal
Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE)
FREE provides hundreds of education resources compiled by the U. S. Department
of Education.
[http://www.ed.gov/free]
ERIC
Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education (ERIC EC) and the ERIC/OSEP
Special Project
ERIC is a national information system on education, with the world's largest
database of education-related documents, journal citations, and other
print materials. As one of 16 ERIC clearinghouses nationwide, ERIC EC
gathers, selects, and abstracts literature on disabilities and gifted
education.
[http://www.eric.ed.gov/]
Reading
Rockets
ReadingRockets.org provides detailed information about learning to read
and strategies for supporting struggling readers at home, at school, and
in the community. It offers news, practical information, expert advice,
and resources for parents, teachers, tutors, child care providers, and
policy makers.
[http://www.readingrockets.org]
The
Knowledge Loom
The Knowledge Loom is a resource on what works in teaching and learning
for all students. The site offers research-based characteristics for successful
professional development, along with examples of those characteristics
in practice. Sign up for "On the Loom," a free periodic e-news
note about what's new on the Knowledge Loom Web site.
[http://www.knowledgeloom.org]
The
Gateway to Educational Materials (GEM)
Access to lesson plans, curriculum units, and other education resources.
Created by the U. S. Department of Education.
[http://www.thegateway.org]