Special Education teachers are often held to the same accountability standards as general education standards when it comes to effective teaching. This can cause frustration and disconnect between professionals and their job description. A set of research-based, high-leverage practices has been developed to provide special education teachers with…

Children who do not master writing skills risk possible failure because they cannot complete written assignments on time. The complex nature of writing as a language production skill requires thorough planning and problem-solving. Research emphasises that children who struggle to write tend to remain behind in their writing skill development.…

This paper presents a study which has evaluated the extent to which a sample of elementary special education teachers in Kuwait understand and make use of evidence-informed approaches in the mainstream classroom with children with special educational needs. A questionnaire survey was developed and administered (N = 150), focussing on teacher…

The current study examined elementary (or primary) school teachers' knowledge of student anxiety and evidence-based anxiety reduction strategies, whether this knowledge was associated with their use of evidence-based anxiety reduction strategies in the classroom, and correlates of teacher knowledge and use of anxiety reduction strategies in the…

Students with mental health needs, behavioral support needs, and/or emotional disturbance can engage in internalizing behaviors, externalizing behaviors, or both. Preservice and induction phase elementary general education teachers are reported to have limited education in providing evidence-based behavior management strategies, especially for…

Inclusion of students with autism in general education classrooms is increasing. However, barriers to inclusion, such as limited teacher training and limited knowledge of autism, are often compounded in districts where large percentages of students live in poverty. This study examines general education teachers' perceptions, training needs, and…

While the conceptual link between teachers' knowledge of reading-related concepts and student reading outcomes is widely acknowledged in the field, few studies have empirically examined this correlation, especially regarding student reading comprehension. Thus, the present dissertation study aimed to investigate teachers' knowledge of reading…

In an urban Midwestern elementary school, the teachers and administrators were perplexed by the rise in special education referrals even with the implementation of response to intervention (RTI). The problem addressed in this study is the general education teachers' implementation of RTI to identify if there were any gaps in practice and, if so,…

The most effective way to improve the performance of students is to improve the practice of their teachers (McLeskey & Brownell, 2015). Teachers must provide highly effective, research-based instruction responsive to the unique needs of students with disabilities for quality outcomes to occur. High-Leverage Practices (HLPs) were developed by…

Comprehension is a primary ingredient of reading success--but most educators aren't taught how to deliver structured comprehension instruction in their classrooms. K-8 teachers will find the guidance they need in this groundbreaking professional resource from Nancy Hennessy, former IDA President and an expert on reading comprehension. Meticulously…

Trauma-informed practices have become a buzzword within the field of education. This extended literature review and doctoral work project aim to bridge the gap between general knowledge of trauma-informed practices and an in-depth understanding of the impact of adverse childhood experiences on elementary-aged children through the lens of…

The use of research-informed and evidence-based practices (RI/EBPs) in classroom and behavior management can help teachers mitigate challenging student behavior in their classrooms, while also improving the academic achievement for those students. However, research suggests teachers lack the knowledge and skills to implement these practices. The…

The current study examined elementary (or primary) school teachers' knowledge of student anxiety and evidence-based anxiety reduction strategies, whether this knowledge was associated with their use of evidence-based anxiety reduction strategies in the classroom, and correlates of teacher knowledge and use of anxiety reduction strategies in the…

Twice-exceptional students (2E) are identified as having high aptitude and a disability, as classified by their state of residence. However, elementary school teachers are not consistently implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs) for kindergarten through fifth-grade 2E students, creating a gap in practice. The purpose of this qualitative study…

This mixed methods cross-sectional survey study framed in amalgamation theory (Ehri, 2020) and the Simple View of Reading (Gough & Tunmer, 1986) explored the ways in which k-2 general classroom teachers define, understand, and teach sight word development through an orthographic mapping lens. The study utilized a convergent parallel design to…