Teaching Reading Comprehension to Students with Learning Difficulties (What Works for Special-Needs Learners)

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Janette K. Klingner, PhD, until her death in 2014, was Professor of Bilingual Special Education at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her principal areas of research were reading comprehension strategy instruction in diverse, inclusive secondary science and social studies classes; professional development that enhances teacher quality in diverse, inclusive classrooms; response to intervention for English language learners (ELLs); and the disproportionate representation of students of color in special education. She authored or coauthored more than 130 articles, books, and book chapters. Dr. Klingner was past president of the Division of Learning Disabilities of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), Vice President of the International Academy for Research on Learning Disabilities, and Associate Editor of the Journal of Learning Disabilities. She was a recipient of the Early Career Award from the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the Distinguished Researcher Award from the Special Education Research Special Interest Group of AERA.

Sharon Vaughn, PhD, holds the H. E. Hartfelder/Southland Corporation Regents Chair in Human Development at the University of Texas at Austin and is Executive Director of the Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk. She has written numerous books and research articles that address the reading and social outcomes of students with learning difficulties, and is currently investigating effective interventions for students with reading difficulties and students who are ELLs. Dr. Vaughn has served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Learning Disabilities and coeditor of Learning Disabilities Research and Practice. She has received the Career Research Award from CEC, the Distinguished Researcher Award from the Special Education Research Special Interest Group of AERA, the Career Excellence Award from the University of Texas, and the Albert J. Harris Award from the International Reading Association.

Alison Boardman, PhD, is Assistant Research Professor in the School of Education at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she conducts reading intervention research and teaches courses on differentiating instruction for diverse learners. Her research interests include interventions for struggling readers, meeting the needs of diverse learners in general education classrooms, and providing effective professional development and coaching. Dr. Boardman was previously a special education teacher in pull-out and inclusion settings in elementary and middle schools.