Examining the instructional contexts of students with learning disabilities

This is the publisher's version, also found here: http://cec.metapress.com/content/122146This literature review focuses on methodologies, instruments, and findings from research on the instructional contexts of elementary and secondary students with learning disabilities. The review covers the time that students were engaged in different activities in different settings, interactions between teachers and students, and students' classroom behavior. (Author/JDD

Addressing the challenges of families with multiple risks

This is the publisher's version, also found here: http://search.proquest.com/docview/201087109?accountid=14556For a significant segment of the population, the challenges faced by families are multiple and constitute risks for the children and other family members. The changing structures and characteristics of the American family are reviewed, and the increased influence of several societal concerns are discussed

The 30 Million–Word Gap Relevance for Pediatrics

As many as 40% to 50% of the children pediatric clinicians serve are growing up in low-income households. Among the myriad physical and mental health sequelae of early adversity and toxic stress, language development appears to be one area particularly vulnerable to the stressors associated with poverty. The effects of poverty on language development have been documented in children as young as 9 months, becoming more clinically evident by 24 months.1 The consequences of early adversity–related language delays may be profound, leading to later learning delays, school failure, and lifelong social and economic consequences.2 This income-related gap in children’s language development has been linked in numerous studies to the quantity and quality of language input children receive from their parents, family members, and caregivers. Hart and Risley3 carried out the landmark study documenting this influence of children’s early environments on their later vocabulary growth. They observed that young children from low-income families heard approximately 600 words per hour compared with 2100 words per hour for children from high-income families. Extrapolating from this hourly discrepancy data, they estimated that by the time children reached age 4 years, those from higher-income families were likely to have heard roughly 30 million more words than low-income children. In addition, lower-income parents have been observed to use fewer complex sentences and rare vocabulary words, ask fewer questions of children, and use more prohibitives and directives—language that tells children what to do and not do—rather than pose comments that might elicit conversation. This qualitative and quantitative difference in language exposure, the “word gap,” is significant in that it often leads to later disparities in children’s academic achievement via effects not only on language development2 but also on cognitive processing1 and building self-regulation skills.4 Numerous community-based interventions have been shown to be effective in improving children’s language learning environments and outcomes.5 Some of the largest-scale endeavors include Providence Talks (a program in which low-income families with young children in Providence, Rhode Island, are given audio-recording technology that provides feedback about how many words their children hear every day), Georgia’s Talk to Me Baby program, and the Talking Is Teaching initiative of Too Small to Fail. However, some recent commentators have criticized the emphasis placed on word gap initiatives, with opposition to the “simplistic” approach of focusing on number of words spoken as a solution to poverty’s health effects as well as concern for implicit bias in the way researchers describe low-income and minority parenting.6 We argue that emphasis on the word gap in pediatric practice is not only appropriate but also a valuable tool for partnering with families and teaching trainees

Classwide Peer Tutoring

This is the publisher's version, also found at http://sped.org/ABSTRACT: The purpose of this article is to discuss classwide peer tutoring as an effective instructional procedure. The article is organized into three major sections: [a] general principles of instruction, (b) description of classwide peer tutoring procedures, and (c) review of effectiveness data concerning classroom process (i.e., ecological and behavioral factors) and student achievement outcomes. It concludes with a discussion of the procedure and areas of future research and application

The Greater Kansas City Early Care and Education Landscape Study Final Report: Jackson County, Missouri

The report includes data that will allow districts, schools, centers, funders, and supporters to better understand who is accessing early childhood services, what services are being accessed, and who is providing those services. The survey showed that schools, centers, and homes differed with respect to children served, program characteristics, and staff characteristic. Likely as a result of their access to more sources of revenue, school-based programs were more likely to be accredited, to have appropriately educated teachers who receive fair compensation and benefits, to offer services such as transportation and summer school, and to use strategies to engage families compared to centers and homes. The focus on formal learning opportunities varied with respect to program type. School-based programs were most likely to use a curriculum and to assess kindergarten readiness (100% and 71%, respectively), followed by centers (74% and 50%, respectively), then homes (65% and 32%, respectively)

Predicting School Readiness for Low-Income Children With Disability Risks Identified Early.

This is the publisher's version, also found here: http://cec.metapress.com/content/v63130ux17623148/?p=2ad55b44ec3e4a3d8e66dcb0b3680616&pi=3This study examined school readiness at kindergarten entry for low-income children whose disability indicators were identified before age 3. Data were collected as part ofthe Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Longitudinal Follow-Up study. Children who had suspected developmental delays and did not receive Part C services had lower preacademic skill scores at kindergarten entry than those who had no disability indicators. In contrast, the preacademic skills at age 5 of children who received Part C services did not differ from those who had no disability indicators. A large proportion of children who had suspected developmental delays and did not receive Part C services by age 3 received Part B services later. Results highlight the importance of early intervention for low-income children who have suspected developmental delays to enhance their school readiness skills

Predicting School Readiness for Low-Income Children with Disability Risks Identified Early

This study examined school readiness at kindergarten entry for low-income children whose disability indicators were identified before age 3. Data were collected as part of the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Longitudinal Follow-up study. Children who had suspected developmental delays and did not receive Part C services had lower preacademic skill scores at kindergarten entry than those who had no disability indicators. In contrast, the preacademic skills at age 5 of children who received Part C services did not differ from those who had no disability indicators. A large proportion of children who had suspected developmental delays and did not receive Part C services by age 3 received Part B services later. Results highlight the importance of early intervention for low-income children who have suspected developmental delays to enhance their school readiness skills