Working to make a difference for children
who display challenging behavior
Academic Connection
There is absolutely no doubt that carefully tailored, effective
instruction can reduce student misbehavior in school. If interventions
are designed and implemented to directly teach academic (e.g., reading)
and behavioral deficiencies, schools can improve students' academic
performance and reduce problem behavior. Follow the links below
to explore the academic/behavioral connection:
"Schools with chronically low academic achievement are those
with lower rates of on-task time, less teacher preparation of new material,
lower rates of teacher communication of high expectations, fewer instances
of positive reinforcement, more classroom interruptions, more discipline
problems, and an unfriendly classroom ambiance. " (Preventing
Reading Difficulties in Young Children)
Overcoming
Dyslexia:Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-Based Program
for Overcoming Reading Problems at Any Level
From Publishers Weekly
Yale neuroscientist Shaywitz demystifies the roots of dyslexia (a neurologically based reading difficulty affecting one in five children) and offers parents and educators hope that children with reading problems can be helped. Shaywitz delves deeply into how dyslexia occurs, explaining that magnetic resonance imaging has helped scientists trace the disability to a weakness in the language system at the phonological level. According to Shaywitz, science now has clear evidence that the brain of the dyslexic reader is activated in a different area than that of the nonimpaired reader. Interestingly, the dyslexic reader may be strong in reasoning, problem solving and critical thinking, but invariably lacks phonemic awareness-the ability to break words apart into distinct sounds-which is critical in order to crack the reading code. The good news, Shaywitz claims, is that with the use of effective training programs, the brain can be rewired and dyslexic children can learn to read. She walks parents through ways to help children develop phonemic awareness, become fluent readers, and exercise the area of the brain essential for reading success. Early diagnosis and effective treatment, the author claims, are of utmost importance, although even older readers can learn to read skillfully with proper intervention. Shaywitz's groundbreaking work builds an important bridge from the laboratory to the home and classroom.
Intervention Central offers free tools and resources to help school staff and parents promote positive classroom behaviors and foster effective learning for all children and youth. The site was created by Jim Wright, a school psychologist from Syracuse, NY. Visit to check out newly posted academic and behavioral intervention strategies, download publications on effective teaching practices, and use tools that streamline classroom assessment and intervention.
A short article by Beverly H. Johns in which she emphasizes the need to teach test taking strategies. She argues that just as we teach reading, writing and arithmetic skills, we need to teach children who to prepare to take tests.
Reprinted with permission from The School Discipline Advisor. Copyright 2003 by LRP Publications, 747 Dresher Road, P.O. Box 980, Horsham, PA 19044-0980. All rights reserved. For more information on products published by LRP Publications, please call toll-free 1-800-341-7874, ext. 275 or visit the Discipline & Violence Prevention section under General Education on www.lrp.com/store for more information on LRP Publications’ discipline, school safety and violence prevention publications.
In 1997, Congress asked the Director of the NICHD, in consultation with the Secretary of Education, to convene a national panel to assess the effectiveness of different approaches used to teach children to read. For over two years, this National Reading Panel (NRP) reviewed research-based knowledge on reading instruction. On April 13, 2000, the NRP concluded its work and presented it at a hearing before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. Go to the Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read.
Preventing
Reading Difficulties in Young Children
"In this report, the committee makes recommendations for practice, as well as recommendations for further research that needs to be undertaken. Our discussions also explored how people need to start thinking about reading and reading instruction." (Catherine E. Snow, M. Susan Burns, and Peg Griffin, Editors Committee on the Prevention of Reading Difficulties in Young Children, National Research Council)
The
National Right to Read Foundation
The Mission of The National Right to Read Foundation (NRRF) is to Return to the Schools of America, Reading Instruction which follows Scientifically Based Reading Research. This site is designed to provide assistance for those engaged in this effort.
A
Compact for Reading Guide and School-Home Links
This Compact for Reading Guide and School-Home Links Reading Kit were developed for teachers, families, and reading partners through the Compact for Literacy Initiative, an activity of the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education at the U.S. Department of Education. The purpose of this effort is to encourage greater family, school, and community involvement in the education of children so as to improve their skills and achievement in reading and other language arts. The principal authors of the Compact for Reading Guide are Mary Russo, Director of the Boston Annenberg Challenge; Gary Kosman of Northwestern University; and Alan Ginsburg, Susan Thompson-Hoffman, and Julie Pederson of the U.S. Department of Education.
Excellent instructional resources for math and science. All of the site's resources are available to anyone. It doesn't matter if you are a student, teacher, home-schooler, principal, adult returning to the classroom after 20 years, or a friendly alien just trying to get a leg up in earthly biology. The Khan Academy's materials and resources are available to you completely free of charge.
Learning Disabilities and Challenging Behaviors: A Guide to Intervention and Classroom Management
The Building Blocks model is practical, supported by research, and easy to implement. It identifies ten areas important to school success (the building blocks), divided into three levels: (a) the foundational level includes attention and impulse control, emotion and behavior, self-esteem, and learning environment blocks; (b) the symbolic processing and (c) memory level contains the visual, auditory, and motor skills blocks the conceptual level comprises using strategies and thinking with language and images. By Nancy Mather, Ph.D., & Sam Goldstein, Ph.D.
Suggested Teaching Materials
The following teaching materials have a strong research base. These materials include most or all of the elements suggested in the reports or Web sites listed on this page.
· Reading Mastery (grades K - 6)
· Corrective Reading (grades 4 -12)
· Spelling Mastery (grades 1- 6)
· Connecting Math Concepts (grades K - 6)
· Expressive Writing (grades 4 - 8)
· Great Leaps
· University of Kansas, Learning Strategies