Failure to Learn to Read: Formulating a Policy Problem

Inclusive Schools Movement and the Radicalization of Special Education Reform

“…The larger of the two included those with interest in students with learning disabilities, behavior disorders, and "mild/moderate" mental retardation (e.g., Algozzine, Maheady, Sacca, O'Shea, & O'Shea, 1990;Gersten & Woodward, 1990;Gottlieb, Alter, & Gottlieb, 1991;Jenkins, Pious, & Peterson, 1988;Lilly, 1987;Pugach & Lilly, 1984;Reynolds, 1988Reynolds, , 1989Reynolds, , 1991, the so-called "high-incidence" group of students. This first group also included nonspecial educators like Wang (e.g., Wang, Rubenstein, & Reynolds, 1985), McGill-Franzen (1987), and Slavin (e.g., Slavin et al, 1991), who approached special education reform from the perspective of advocacy for at-risk students without disabilities. At least two characteristics united these REI supporters: first, a willingness to offer a no-holds-barred critique of special education, and second, a belief that the field must recognize that it is part of a larger system, not a separate order; that it must coordinate and collaborate with general education (e.g., Allington & McGill-Franzen, 1989); and that a stronger general education means a stronger special education.…”

Chapter 8: Assessment and Diversity

“…Nonetheless, the available studies of home-school sociocultural and sociolinguistic discontinuities suggest that differences in cultural knowledge and interactional styles do affect students' academic achievement (Au & Jordan, 1982;Delgado-Gaitan, 1987;Heath, 1981Heath, , 1982Michaels, 1981;Philips, 1972). We also know that student placement in compensatory programs based on such tests can lead to differential educational experiences that are not necessarily beneficial (McGill-Franzen, 1987).…”

Assessing Phonemic Awareness in Preschool and Kindergarten: Development and Initial Validation of First Sound Fluency

“…This is a grave social concern because low reading skills have long been related to delinquency, school drop-out rates, and unemployment (McGill-Franzen, 1987). For children to experience success in academic, social, and economic outcomes, it is imperative that they make adequate progress in learning to read at an early age (Good, Simmons, & Smith, 1998).…”