Improving the Reading and Writing Skills of America's Students

Abstract

We have learned a great deal about the academic challenges that children with learning disabilities face in school. The National Longitudinal Transition Study (Valdes, Williamson, & Wagner, 1990) data show, for example, that grade point averages of children with learning disabilities are lower than those of other students, that children with learning disabilities frequently receive failing grades, and that they are more likely to drop out of school entirely. Only 61% of out-of-school youth with learning disabilities graduated from high school compared to 76% for the general population of youth. The group of students ages 6 to 21 who are identified as having specific learning disabilities and served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the largest among all disability groups served — around 2.5 million students, representing more than half of all students with disabilities. This number continues to grow.We have learned some promising practices for teaching reading and writing to children with learning disabilities. The practices involve beginning early and working with the children on a daily basis, including the summer months. Most children who are classified as having learning disabilities in public schools have reading disabilities (Kavale & Forness, 1985).