Announcements
July 2010
New project targets the instruction of English language learners in secondary schools
MCPER has announced its newest project, the Texas Institute for the Acquisition of Language for Learning, a technical assistance and support center funded by the Texas Education Agency. Part of the Student Success Initiative, the new project will assist 87 middle and high schools in Texas with their programs of instruction for English language learners and will provide various professional development opportunities for teachers and administrators during the 2-year grant period (June 1, 2010, to May 31, 2012). The goals of the project are for students to receive quality instruction leading to increased academic achievement and to prepare teachers to meet the needs of English language learners. The MCPER team includes Project Director Leticia Martinez; Project Manager Leticia Grimaldo; and Senior Field Trainers/Analysts Genise Henry, Colleen Moore, Olga Martinez Hickman, and Shimona Eason.
MCPER researchers present at Society for the Scientific Study of Reading conference in Berlin
Five researchers associated with MCPER’s Reading Institute presented a symposium at the 17th annual meeting
of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading, held July 7 to 10 in Berlin, Germany. The presenters were MCPER Executive Director Sharon Vaughn, Senior Research Associate Colleen Reutebuch, former MCPER researcher Amory Cable, and David Francis and Coleen Carlson of the MCPER partner the Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics. The symposium was titled “Enhancing Social Studies Vocabulary and Comprehension for Seventh-Grade English Language Learners: Findings From Three Experimental Studies.” The full citation is posted in the MCPER Library.
Reading Institute paper is published in Psychology in the Schools
The Psychology in the Schools journal recently published a manuscript authored by Elizabeth Swanson and Sharon Vaughn of MCPER’s Reading Institute. The paper, “An Observation Study of Reading Instruction Provided to Elementary Students With Learning Disabilities in the Resource Room,” documents the amount and quality of reading instruction provided to elementary students with learning disabilities in resource rooms. The full publication information for this manuscript is posted in the MCPER Library.
MCPER doctoral candidate wins Award
Mary Ndande, a doctoral candidate in special education and social work and member of the CREATE team, is the recipient of the Texas Council for Exceptional Children (TCEC) Research Incentive Award. Ndande was honored for her proposal to examine special education teachers’ knowledge of instructional and behavioral-management strategies to address students with disabilities who are substance abusers. Ndande received a $500 grant to support the research and will present her findings at the 2011 TCEC Conference.
MCPER postdoctoral fellow selected for Cluster-Randomized Trials Summer Institute
Nicole Pyle, MCPER 2009 postdoctoral fellow, has been selected to attend the Institute of Education Sciences Cluster-Randomized Trials Training Institute. Sponsored by the National Center for Education Research, the workshop will feature Dr. Thomas Cook and Dr. William Shadish.
MCPER director of statewide initiatives presents at Online Learning Institute
Ellie Hanlon, MCPER’s director of statewide initiatives, participated in the Online Learning Institute on June 30 in Denver, Colorado. Hanlon, along with Karen Kahan of the Texas Education Agency, led a roundtable discussion titled “Creating Statewide Professional Development Opportunities Using Epsilen: Tales from Texas.” EdTech Leaders Online, Southern Regional Education Board, and International Society for Technology in Education sponsored the institute.
MCPER researchers appointed co-editors of Learning Disability Quarterly
Mathematics Institute for Learning Disabilities and Difficulties Director Diane Pedrotty Bryant and Fellow Brian R. Bryant have been appointed for 3-year terms as the new co-editors of Learning Disability Quarterly. One of the premier research journals in the field, Learning Disability Quarterly publishes high-quality research and scholarship concerning children, youth, and adults with learning disabilities. The Council for Learning Disabilities Board of Trustees selected the Bryants.
MCPER researcher receives American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Education Award
Brian R. Bryant, fellow in the Mathematics Institute for Learning Disabilities and Difficulties, is the 2010 recipient of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Education Award. Bryant received the award at the organization’s national conference in Providence, Rhode Island. According to the awards committee, Dr. Bryant was honored in recognition of his leadership in the field of special education and in the development of tools to improve the effectiveness of education for students with disabilities. The award committee acknowledged the positive impact of Bryant’s work in reading and mathematics instruction and his contributions to the development of the Supports Intensity Scale.