Teaching Reading Comprehension to Students with Learning Difficulties

Sharon Vaughn, PhD, holds the Manuel Justiz Chair in Education 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 English learners. 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 Special Education Research Award from the Council for Exceptional Children, the Distinguished Researcher Award from the Special Education Research Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association, the Career Excellence Award from the University of Texas, and the Albert J. Harris Award from the International Literacy Association.

Alison Boardman, PhD, is Associate Professor in Equity, Bilingualism, and Biliteracy and Codirector of Elementary Teacher Education in the School of Education at the University of Colorado Boulder. She works closely with educators to study and innovate literacy instruction across content areas in classrooms that include students with learning difficulties and multilingual learners. Current investigations focus on designing and studying the use of literacy-focused project-based learning with students with learning difficulties in inclusive classrooms. Dr. Boardman is a former elementary and middle school special education teacher.

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 learners; 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, 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.