This book discusses reading comprehension and associated learning difficulties. It seeks to outline and elaborate on what constitutes reading comprehension and also the types of learning difficulties that impact on reading comprehension outcomes. In doing so, it seeks to address and inform the reader about issues found in the literature on reading. It discusses the need for a consistent and integrated approach to reading comprehension.

The book details the complex nature of reading comprehension difficulties and the problems related to articulating clear definitions of various learning difficulties and the associated problems with assessment and diagnosis. It introduces a model for classifying reading comprehension based on the "Simple View of Reading." The book also focuses on recent conceptualisations of working memory and its function in regard to the complex task of reading and comprehension. It gives an explanation as to why reading comprehension is difficult for some children with a number of reading disabilities such as ADHD, autism, and language difficulties and dyslexia.

The book then discusses and develops an understanding of comprehension at the word and discourse levels. It details some evidence-based reading comprehension methods that have been identified as being effective for children with learning difficulties.

A selection of essays from leading educationalists and school leaders with a track record of improving outcomes for children and young people with additional needs, highlighting the significant role that school leaders play in shaping effective practice in SEND. Based on the SEND Review Guide, a national self-evaluation framework part-funded by the DfE and authored by David Bartram and Vijita Patel, downloaded by over 3000 schools, the book is divided into eight sections: Leadership; Teaching and Learning; Working with Pupils and Parents; Identification and Assessment; Monitoring and Tracking; Efficient Use of Resources; Developing Provision; Improving OutcomesEach section includes 3-4 essays. The opening essays offer a broad national perspective on the focus area, authored by a leading educationalist. The following essays, authored by school leaders from a range of educational settings including secondary, primary and special schools, highlight practical examples of how they have improved outcomes for this group of pupils, often in particularly challenging contexts. There will be a strong focus on impact of the approach.

"Parenting Gifted Kids: Tips for Raising Happy and Successful Children" provides a humorous, engaging, and encouraging look at raising gifted children today. James R. Delisle, Ph.D., offers practical, down-to-earth advice that will cause parents to reexamine the ways they perceive and relate to their children.
Dr. Delisle puts forward 10 tips to parents of gifted children--ideas that reflect attitude and approach and allow for introspection and change, rather than quick, do-it-tonight solutions. Some topics of interest include understanding a child's giftedness, working with the school system, dealing with perfectionism in gifted kids, and being adult role models for children. Along the way, stories from gifted children and their parents provide insight into the lives of these individuals.
What sets this book apart from other books for parents of gifted kids is its expansion beyond mere platitudes. Dr. Delisle's tips go beyond the basics, focusing on attitude, reflection, and subtle changes, rather than specific, cookie-cutter recipes for action. The 10 tips suggested and expanded upon in this book include: understanding what giftedness is . . . and what it is not; understanding the differences between gifted kids and their agemates; understanding the personality traits of gifted kids, including overexcitabilities; taking charge of your child's education; understanding the issue of perfectionism in gifted kids; examining social nuances and myths related to giftedness; examining the similarities parents share with their gifted children; setting reasonable goals; helping gifted children make a difference in the lives of others; and remembering that gifted children are kids first and gifted second.For additional advice on parenting gifted kids, see "Barefoot Irreverence," "Encouraging Your Child's Math Talent," "Encouraging Your Child's Science Talent," "Encouraging Your Child's Writing Talent," and "Smart Kids With Learning Difficulties."
Educational ResourceRead an Interview With the Author
Author James Delisle, Ph.D., talks candidly about his experiences with parenting and teaching gifted kids, and how he used those experiences to write "Parenting Gifted Kids." This interview offers a personal, insightful look into the life of one of the nation's most popular experts on gifted children. To read a transcript of his interview, click here.Check Out a Sample Chapter From This Book
"Understanding What Giftedness Is . . . And What It Is Not," is an engaging, interesting excerpt from "Parenting Gifted Kids." This chapter looks at the many viewpoints, conceptions, and definitions of giftedness that exist. To read this sample chapter, click here

"You are stupid"; "My little sister in second grade reads better than you"; "You go to the Retard Class." These are the taunts heard by the people whose stories you will read. Some teachers and counselors added to the problem by remarks: "You will never go to college," "You need a vocation in which you can use your hands," "You can't handle a college prep course," "College for YOU-You are kidding yourself," "No college will ever accept you."

Education is a pivotal influence on all members of society. However, in the case of immigrants and refugees integrating into a new country, allowing proper learning opportunities can offer specific challenges that must be overcome. Educational Development and Infrastructure for Immigrants and Refugees is an innovative source of scholarly research on the role of education for refugees and immigrants, and it examines methods to develop effective learning processes for these students. Highlighting a range of perspectives on topics such as lifelong learning, legal considerations, and multiculturalism, this book is ideally designed for teachers, policy makers, researchers, academics, and professionals actively involved in the education sector.

The Law of Special Education and Non-Public Schools provides an informed explanation of Section 504, the IDEA, their regulations, and the cases that they have generated. Even though, the authors offer educators information on the rights of children in non-public schools, this book is not a how-to manual. It is designed to help make educators and parents aware of the requirements governing the laws that impact the rights of children with disabilities in order to implement both Section 504 and the IDED. In light of the detail that the book provides, it serves as a current and concise desk reference for educators ranging from building or district level administrators to classroom teachers to resource specialists in special education and related fields.

In today's world, contact with other cultures is an inevitable part of university and college life. "Learning and Teaching across Cultures in Higher Education" is intended for anyone who has an interest in intercultural aspects of higher education. The book contains theoretical rationale, resources and examples to help readers understand and deal with situations involving contact between learners or educators from different cultural backgrounds, as well as giving insights into the new global context of higher education.

The construct of intellectual disability has developed over centuries and has had different functions at different times; from a concept that was used to describe people from whom society needed protecting from in the late to 19th and early 20th centuries, to one used to describe people who are unable to cope in the current environment. It is now defined in terms of having a measured IQ below a fixed cut off point, usually 70, and a low level of adaptive behaviour also often specified in terms of being below a cut off point. Intellectual Disability demonstrates that neither IQ nor adaptive behaviour can be measured with sufficient accuracy for fixed cut off points to be used and suggests a number of new much more loosely defined constructs of intellectual disability based on clinical judgment.

An overview of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) students in our schools-what they endure, their special needs, and the programs and groups that support them. Diverse Sexuality and Schools: A Reference Handbook is an eye-opening report on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth in our schools-the isolation they feel, the hostilities they face, their unique developmental and emotional needs, and the innovative ways schools, communities, and organizations are working to support them. Author David Campos offers a compelling, often harrowing, tour of the lives of GLBT students, including what researchers have learned over the past half-century and what the schools, the courts, and the government are doing to keep them safe regardless of their sexual orientation. But perhaps the book's greatest impact comes from the way Campos gives voice to this often neglected population, providing a forum for these students' painful testimonies of harassment, violence, and despair. Directory of organizations, associations, and government agencies associated with GLBT youth Comprehensive introductory chapter providing an overview of terms and definitions, historical and legal perspectives, and demographics of the GLBT youth population

This book addresses a very important subject: the relationship of bilingual education to power politics in the US from 1880 to the present. Of particular interest is discussion of the impact of Reagan appointees in the Department of Education on bilingual programs ... no other book has attempted to link language to politics in the US in as explicit a manner. Especially for those not familiar with the history of language relations in the US, it provides an introduction to the subject. . . . "Choice"

Karl Koenig, the founder of Camphill, was a prolific lecturer and writer on a wide range of subjects from anthroposophy and Christology through social questions and curative education to science and history. The Karl Koenig Archive are working on a programme of publishing these works over the coming years. This is the fourth book to be published in the series. In this remarkable collection of Karl Koenig's letters and essays, Koenig considers and discusses the fundamentals of special needs education. He shows that there are three core aspects to a successful holistic education and healing approach: firstly, a positive social environment, which in the context of Camphill is achieved through small family units of carers and children; secondly, that carers' work is based on an insightful understanding of the nature and potential of each individual child and disability; and thirdly that medical treatment is imbued with courage to keep believing that the impossible is possible.

For decades, researchers and policymakers have grappled with the issue of the underachievement of African American students. An age-old problem has been that these students on average lag behind their peers of other racial/ethnic groups in math, science, and reading. Recently, California, like some other states, has implemented a high-stakes standardized testing program that has revealed that when test scores are disaggregated along racial/ethnic lines, the scores of African American students continue to trail those of their peers.

The study described in this book was undertaken in an effort to uncover schooling practices that are advantageous or detrimental to the achievement of African American students. The study was based on interviews and questionnaire results from nearly 300 African American high school seniors. Most of these students resided in a region that had a low college attendance rate and a high child poverty rate. The students were given an opportunity to discuss numerous issues pertaining to their schooling experiences, including teacher attitudes and expectations, the curriculum, homework practices, the quality of services provided by their high school counselors, racism at school, school safety, parental involvement, and their early reading habits and attitudes about reading. In addition to quantitative results, most chapters include detailed narratives describing the elementary and secondary schooling experiences of the interviewees.

The Pocket Diary of a SENCO spans a typical school year and includes hopeful and often humorous diary entries that share the authentic aspirations, joys and frustrations of championing inclusion and working in the role of a SENCO. Grounded in real-life experiences and day-to-day practice, Pippa McLean describes the experiences of a SENCO and the reality of SEND provision in school, drawing out the personal characteristics and values that schools can foster to support inclusive practice and nurture positive relationships between children, parents and colleagues. Diary extracts across the months range from 'Be ready to hit the road', 'Be gentle on yourself', to 'Be a culture builder' and 'Be an advocate'. Each entry is followed by reflective questions and space for the reader to jot down their own thoughts, as well as 'monthly musings' to support their own professional development. Written in a truly conversational style, this essential pocket diary captures the reality of SEND provision in schools and will be relatable to many. It is valuable reading for SENCOs, teachers, support staff and trainees who wish to enrich their learning around inclusive practice and engage reflectively within their busy lives.

This exciting new book from the bestselling authors of The Science of Learning takes complex ideas around teaching and learning and makes them easy to understand and apply through beautifully illustrated graphics. Each concept is covered over a double-page spread, with a full-page graphic on one page and supportive text on the other. This unique combination of accessible images and clear explanations helps teachers navigate the key principles and understand how to best implement them in the classroom. Distilling key findings and ideas for great evidence-based teaching from a broad range of contemporary studies, the book covers the research findings, ideas and applications from the most important and fundamental areas of teaching and learning including: Retrieval Practice Spacing Interleaving Cognitive Load Theory Rosenshine’s Principles Feedback Resilience Metacognition Written to support, inspire and inform teaching staff and those involved in leadership and CPD, Teaching & Learning Illuminated will transform readers' understanding of teaching and learning research.

Over the past two decades greater numbers of courses and programs in colleges and universities have emerged that explore the lives and roles of women who have been engaged in shaping and determining the cultural contexts in which we live, yet parity for women and girls within schools, the workplace, and the academy have changed only slightly. The differential treatment between males and females in classrooms from the nursery school to the postdoctoral experience impact females' academic and career opportunities, social treatment, and participation in power structures. Simultaneous to the growth in courses, there has been a growing faction within the academy who have voiced the belief that the work on and for women and education has been accomplished. Perhaps because of this pervasive belief and because inequities have taken a subtler, but deeper form of expression, we have never been in greater need of a book series devoted to Research on Women and Education.

Exceptional Music Pedagogy for Children with Exceptionalities: International Perspectives offers readers in music education, music therapy, and music in special education communities a new, important, and globally-informed resource for effective music pedagogies in theory and practice. Volume editors Deborah Blair and Kimberly McCord have assembled here a collection of never-before-published chapters written by a diverse and international set of teachers and researchers in music education for children with exceptionalities. Each working outward from their own national perspectives, the chapter authors explore the histories of legislative initiatives, discuss the implementation of both mandates and teacher led creative strategies, and provide a vast array of pedagogical suggestions and scenarios that support teachers and communities who work with special learners. Featuring rich descriptions of music teaching and learning approaches in concert with scenarios of how practices play out in the classrooms across the globe, the book gives readers the opportunity to learn from other global settings and, on this basis, to reflect and re-envision the ways that teaching and learning may be fostered in their own music classrooms or research settings. Chapters include U. S. and international special education law, social justice and disability in music, using the Orff Approach in inclusive and self-contained classes, assistive technology and use of innovative technologies to engage children and adults in active music making. In addition, the book offers novice and veteran teachers and teacher educators alike a sophisticated understanding of specific disabilities and strategies for music classroom teaching and learning. Throughout, chapter authors provide theoretical frames with applications for practice that readers will be able to connect to their own educational contexts. With chapters from such diverse music education communities as Finland, Taiwan, Ireland, and Germany, the book adds important new perspectives. The authors and editors represent a wide range of pedagogical approaches for learners in a variety of contexts, and this book is an important, expansive collection of practical expertise, an invaluable resource to the special music education community across the globe.

Higher Education and the Palestinian Minority in Israel examines perceptions concerning the characteristics of higher education acquisition in the indigenous Palestinian Arab minority in Israel. Arar and Haj-Yehia show that Palestinian Arabs in Israel clearly understand the benefit of an academic degree as a lever for social status and integration within the state of Israel. The authors discuss difficulties met by Palestinian high school graduates when they attempt to enter Israel's higher education institutes, and the alternative phenomenon of studying abroad. The cultural difference between Palestinian traditional communities and 'Western' Israeli campuses exposes Arab students to a mix of ethnicities and nationalities, which proves to be a difficult, transformative experience. The book analyzes patterns of higher education acquisition among the indigenous Palestinian minority, describing the disciplines they choose, the challenges they encounter, particularly for Palestinian women students, and explore the implications for the Palestinian minority and Israeli society.

This set of 62 volumes, originally published between 1951 and 1999, amalgamates a wide breadth of literature on Special Educational Needs, with a particular focus on inclusivity, class management and curriculum theory. This collection of books from some of the leading scholars in the field provides a comprehensive overview of the subject how it has evolved over time, and will be of particular interest to students of Education and those undertaking teaching qualifications.

This book consists of a number of case studies about interventions in schools to promote the inclusion of pupils referred to a local authority Educational Psychology Service (EPS) in the north of England. The aim is to provide accounts which do not shirk from describing failures' as well as successes' and which reflect the general messiness' of this kind of work. They are written as stories' from the point of view of an educational psychologist who regards himself as a critical reflective practitioner whose professional practice is grounded in a democratic, inclusive philosophy. The methodology of the book draws on the qualitative research tradition in social science and education, in particular ethnography and action research, and makes a unique contribution to the role of storying' in this kind of research.

This critical perspective on prison education is a marked departure from a literature dominated by descriptions of the criminal mind and correctional education strategies to cure it. Davidson's contributors are prisoners or former prisoners who finished their schooling in prison, some taking advanced degrees, or social scientists who taught in prisons but are not professional correctional educators. Conventionally, prison education is about correcting cognitive deficiencies and improving job opportunities. Here the issues are schooling as surveillance, as politics, and as a means to reconstruct a historical consciousness that remembers personal histories. The essays examine prison schools as they originated and developed, identify processes of differentiation and segregation, expose contradictions, and recount occurrences of prison resistance. There are chapters on prison education as critical pedagogy, literacy and higher education, women prisoners and education, and the irony that most prisoners believe in the American Dream while often being victims of socioeconomic inequity.

The use of the Internet to post information on teaching children with exceptionalities has led to problems for professionals who prefer such knowledge to be screened for accuracy. This volume includes useful, validated information that will help teachers to teach children with exceptionalities more effectively. The authors argue that effective education must facilitate the identification, evaluation, and placement and instructional programming for learners with exceptionalities. Based upon the school improvement and effective education literature and standards-based reform movement, schools must adopt principles of school effectiveness and offer classroom instruction that is based upon a clear assessment of the instructional needs of learners with exceptionalities and the implementation of interventions to maximize their potential and classroom performance. The book is designed to examine research from the disciplines of psychology, sociology, organizational theory, curriculum and instruction, and special education to address the critical issues related to the psychology of effective education for learners with exceptionalities. Contributors address a broad range of topics for restructuring general and special education into a unified system of education. Issues of labeling, classification, and identification; a continuum of educational and service delivery alternatives; curriculum and instruction; assessment and evaluation; distribution of funding resources; responsibilities; rationales for the grouping; and tracking of students are discussed across categories of exceptionalities. Part I of this book is organized around current perspectives and paradigms reflecting the authors' professional knowledge base in special education and the unification of general and special education into a comprehensive service delivery system. Part II specifically addresses a range of issues and topics of effective education for learners with exceptionalities. Part III addresses a range of issues and topics of effective education for learners with exceptionalities across the life span and for special student populations.

Special Education and Globalization illustrates the way in which inclusive education has become the dominant discourse across Europe and the wider international context. Contributions to this book highlight the tensions evident within each jurisdiction, related to the construction of disability within specific historical and cultural antecedents. These tensions often involve the relationship between official policy discourses and grassroots practices based on the assumptions of classroom practitioners who may have strong views on individual deficits. Parents and voluntary organisations may also have an interest in asserting the 'specialness' of specific conditions which require provision outside the mainstream. Finally, the emergence of new bureaucratic structures in an era of heightened national and individual competition often run counter to the ethos of co-operation which informs inclusive practice. This book was originally published as a special issue of Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education.