KU Center for Research on Learning
KU-CRL News Archive
Video of Sen. Roberts visit now available
Monday, August 09, 2010
Video from Sen. Pat Roberts’ visit to KU-CRL in June is now available in the Multimedia section of our site.
RTI conference videos feature CRL director
Monday, July 12, 2010
Last month, Don Deshler presented a couple of sessions during the Response to Instruction & Intervention (RtII) in PA: An All-Ed Standards-Aligned Initiative conference. Watch videos of his presentations here.
The presentations—including handouts and transcripts—have been made available by PaTTAN (Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network) and the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education.
Sen. Roberts visits KU-CRL
Friday, June 04, 2010
On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) visited the University of Kansas to learn about the adolescent literacy work of the Center for Research on Learning.
Sen. Roberts spent an hour listening to representatives of KU, CRL, and the School of Education describe our efforts to improve literacy. Don Deshler, the Williamson Family Distinguished Professor of Special Education and director of the Center for Research on Learning, led the discussion, a follow-up to Don’s testimony before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Sen. Roberts is a member of that committee.
Rick Ginsberg, dean of KU’s School of Education, and Joshua L. Rosenbloom, associate vice provost for research and graduate studies and professor of economics, welcomed the senator and introduced participants in the round table discussion.
Janis Bulgren, KU-CRL associate research professor, described the challenges associated with adolescent literacy, including recent findings that 70 percent of adolescents read below the proficient level. Mike Hock, KU-CRL associate director, introduced a video montage showing students in the Kansas City, Kan., school district who have achieved success after completing a Fusion Reading course.
A trio of educators who have worked with KU-CRL materials in classrooms shared their success stories with the senator. Shelly Bolejack, former middle school English teacher and now instructional coach in the Topeka school district, told of how Strategic Instruction Model® writing strategies transformed her teaching. Carmen Cantrell, Shawnee Mission (Kan.) school district, showed how teachers use Content Enhancement tools to provide instruction to diverse learners. Devona Dunekack, Topeka school district, described her efforts as an instructional coach to help teachers successfully adopt new instructional methods.
For a higher education perspective, Chriss Walther-Thomas, chair of KU’s Department of Special Education, told the senator that since the early 1980s, more than 5,000 education students at KU have studied CRL research and have learned how to use our classroom products.
Sen. Roberts asked several questions throughout the discussion, shared stories of his days as a classroom teacher, and expressed interest in returning to see KU-CRL’s adolescent literacy programs at work in classrooms.
- Adolescent Literacy Handout (pdf). Download a copy of the handout distributed during the roundtable discussion with Sen. Roberts.
News coverage:
- The Lawrence Journal-World and 6News in Lawrence, Kan., covered the senator’s visit.
- The Oread (KU staff newsletter)
Deshler receives School of Education research award
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Don Deshler, Williamson Family Distinguished Professor of Special Education and director of the Center for Research on Learning, received the 2010 Faculty Achievement Award for Research from the University of Kansas School of Education. Chriss Walther-Thomas, chair of the School of Education’s Department of Special Education, presented the award to Deshler during a reception today.
In an announcement about the award,Walther-Thomas wrote: “As one of the country’s leading adolescent literacy and disability researchers, Don’s remarkable body of work provides international acclaim for the university, the school, and the department.”
Rick Ginsberg, dean, School of Education; Don Deshler, Williamson Family Distinguished Professor of Special Education and director of the Center for Research on Learning; and Chriss Walther-Thomas, chair, Department of Special Education
Deshler testifies before Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Don Deshler testified yesterday before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions during a hearing on reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. His written testimony featured two examples of successful, well-designed instructional programs for struggling adolescent learners that have brought about dramatic improvements in literacy: a Fusion Reading program in Dubuque, Iowa, and a whole-school effort in Falls Church, Va.
Download a copy of his prepared written testimony (pdf).
Download a copy of his prepared oral testimony (pdf).
The text of his oral testimony follows.
Oral Testimony to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
“ESEA Reauthorization: Graduating America: Adolescent Literacy”
Tuesday, May 4, 2010, Room 430 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.
Donald D. Deshler
Williamson Family Distinguished Professor of Special Education
Director, Center for Research on Learning
University of Kansas
Chairman Harkin, Ranking Member Enzi and Members of the Committee:
My purpose is to speak about the millions of adolescents whose literacy skills are so low that they cannot make sense of their classroom texts, often fail to graduate, and are unsuccessful in careers or postsecondary education. Let me get to the bottom line right away. The magnitude of the adolescent literacy problem is this: 70% of ALL adolescents read below proficiency on the NAEP!
In my limited time I’m going talk about two incorrect assumptions or myths that have adversely affected how struggling adolescent learners are often treated and taught in public schools and how education public policy has been crafted.
The 1st incorrect assumption (myth): It’s too late to do anything for older students once they get to middle or high school w/o sufficient literacy skills. In some of our schools, this attitude has led to placing these students in low track classes, assigning them the least experienced teachers, and crossing our fingers hoping that they don’t become a disruptive force in our schools but hang on long enough to “graduate” so they don’t count against our drop out statistic.
From a public policy standpoint, a similar “there’s not much we can do” posture has been adopted. Evidence of this is the paltry investment that the federal government has historically made in students in grades 7-12 compared to investments made in children birth through grade 6 and in postsecondary programs such as Pell grants. Bottom line: our investment in adolescents is only 20%. Since so little is invested in students in grades 7-12 – these students who fall in the middle of the continuum from birth through post secondary are appropriately referred to as the “missing middle.”
The reality is these students CAN learn. There is compelling evidence showing that when we use powerful, evidence-based instructional practices, students overcome their literacy deficiencies, they can thrive and the infamous achievement gap can be closed.
I cite two concrete example of where this has happened and there are thousands of other cases just like these two. I’m not talking minor movement of the literacy needle, I’m talking dramatic improvements in performance. It is not to late to turn the tide for these students – they can be taught and they can overcome their literacy problems.
To buy into the myth that the gap can’t be closed is analogous to a doctor pulling the plug on a patient who is in the hospital because of a bad virus. He might be very ill and not functioning well – but he is not dead. There still is hope and we need to act accordingly.
The 2nd incorrect assumption (myth): It is wiser to invest in younger children OR “let’s get them young and we’ll prevent problems from occurring in the future” mentality. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a strong proponent of making investments in our younger children. There is compelling data justifying why it is sound public policy to do so. HOWEVER, there are two fallacies in the position that it is sufficient to put all of our eggs in the “early childhood basket.”
First, unlike getting inoculated for chicken pox, early literacy education does NOT ensure that problems won’t emerge as children grow older. In other words, the inoculation doesn’t last. As students move into middle and high school, the demands of the curriculum change dramatically and hence, new and more sophisticated literacy skills are required.
Second, even though we have developed highly effective intervention strategies for younger children, we have NOT developed effective ways to bring these interventions to scale – that is, they are not being well diffused throughout our schools. Consequently, there are millions of young students who are not being taught with research proven practices that have emerged from federal investments.
BOTTOM LINE: millions of our younger students pass through their early educational experience not being exposed to the best practices and eventually move into adolescents poorly prepared for middle and high school. In other words, it is faulty to assume that by solely investing in improving the literacy skills of younger children, we will do away with large numbers of struggling readers and writers at the secondary level.
So……..with that as a backdrop, highlight 3 of the six recommendations in written testimony:
Recommendations:
- Increase funding for middle and high schools so that these students are no longer referred to as the “missing middle”
- Support current legislative initiatives before Congress related to adolescent achievement – each is very significant and well crafted.
- LEARN (Literacy Education All, Results for the Nation Act)
- Success in Middle School Act
- Graduation Promises Act
- Support the development and adoption of state-led common standards that embed literacy standards throughout the content areas.
- Encourage states to develop a comprehensive literacy policy.
- Invest in professional development in literacy instruction for current and prospective teachers and administrators and encourage states to revise certification and licensure standards.
Invest in research and evaluation –
- While we know enough to act == many unanswered questions
- With very few exceptions, adolescents, secondary schools and adolescent literacy have not been a high priority for any federal agencies.
- RESEARCH IS THE ENGINE THAT DRIVES INNOVATION AND IMPROVEMENT IN PRACTICES ON THE FRONT LINE.
Washington Post article on insurance pools quotes CRL researcher
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
An article in today’s Washington Post quotes Jean Hall, associate research professor in the KU Center for Research on Learning Division of Adult Studies. The article, “18 states refuse to run insurance pools for those with preexisting conditions,” examines a range of issues related to insurance pools designed to provide coverage to individuals with preexisting conditions. Hall addresses the question of whether federal funding for the program is sufficient.
Read the article here: http://tinyurl.com/2fgm77b
Distinguished researcher award
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Donald D. Deshler, the Williamson Family Distinguished Professor of Special Education and director of the Center for Research on Learning, is the recipient of this year’s Distinguished Researcher Award from the Special Education Research Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association.
The award recognizes a researcher for significant and sustained contributions to research, policy, or practice in the field.
In announcing the award, Delinda van Garderen, chair of AERA’s Special Education Research SIG executive committee, said, “Dr. Deshler has devoted his life to special education research. He has an outstanding record and has made significant contributions to the field of special education.”
The award was presented May 2 during the annual meeting of the Special Education Research SIG in Denver.
Deshler joined the faculty of the University of Kansas in 1974 as an assistant professor in special education and assumed the leadership of KU’s Center for Research on Learning in 1980.
Research conducted by the Center under his leadership falls into six main categories:
1. Effective instruction strategies—addressing underlying factors related to learning disabilities and procedures for enabling people to cope with learning disabilities.
2. Adult literacy, policy development and implementation, and program design—addressing the lifelong learning needs of adults with disabilities.
3. Advanced learning technologies—integrating advanced technologies and education to improve student performance.
4. E-learning design—developing online instruction with a commitment to identifying the essential, effective elements of online teaching.
5. Professional development—studying ways to deliver quality learning opportunities and support to teachers and other school personnel.
6. Instructional coaching—studying effective methods of on-site, job-embedded professional development for educators.
Deshler’s influence within the field of special education is extensive. He has taught hundreds of undergraduate, master’s level, and doctoral students during his career and has reached thousands more teachers and administrators through professional development conducted across the country. He has published more than 200 articles, books, monographs, and instructional materials, and his grant proposals have resulted in awards totaling more than $49 million. In 2000, the Journal of Remedial and Special Education selected Deshler as one of the 50 most influential scholars in the field of special education in the 20th century.
CRL researcher wins grant to evaluate health insurance option
Monday, April 26, 2010
Dr. Jean Hall, an associate research professor at the KU Center for Research on Learning Division of Adult Studies, has been awarded a grant from The Commonwealth Fund to evaluate high-risk pools as a health insurance option for people with preexisting conditions. This study is part of The Commonwealth Fund’s Affordable Health Insurance program.
New publication delves into CLC®
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Don Deshler and Jean Schumaker discuss how to integrate research-based interventions into a schoolwide framework for improving academic performance of secondary students in a new book published by the National Association of School Psychologists. They draw extensively on Strategic Instruction Model® and Content Literacy Continuum® research and summarize several SIM studies.
Complete citation:
Schumaker, J.B., & Deshler, D.D. (2010). Using a tiered intervention model in secondary schools to improve academic outcomes in subject-area courses. In Interventions for achievement and behavior problems in a three-tier model including RTI (pp. 609-632). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.
Project Profile: Technology Rich Classrooms
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Click to read a new profile about the Technology Rich Classrooms project at the KU Center for Research on Learning.
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