SPECIAL EDUCATION This English Language Learner with reading difficulties uses audiobooks to help provide audio feedback and narration. RESOURCES to SUPPORT DISABLED LEARNERS BY ALAN DESSOFF Technological advances make a difference for students with learning disabilities. A LREADY UNDER PRESSURE to boost student achievement levels and rein in spending, district administrators face another challenge when it comes to educating students with learning disabilities. With 4 to 6 percent of all students in the nation’s public schools classified as having specific learning disabilities, according to the Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA), most teachers can expect to have students who are learning disabled in their classrooms. And it presents a challenge to teachers and administrators alike, who are required by federal law to be sure such students get the same quality of education as nondisabled students. Fortunately, a plethora of government agencies, nonprofits and commercial vendors provide teaching materials and guidance to help educators instruct students with dyslexia, autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and other conditions that make it difficult for them to read, May 2008 49 www.DistrictAdministration.com
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - May 2008