These true tales of educational trauma and transformation pay homage to Pelias, R. J. (2000. The critical life. "Communication Education," 49[3], 220-228), in order to share vulnerable, personal stories of surviving standardized testing, the short bus, and the tenure track. I offer vivid, thickly described accounts of personal failures…

Children who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) face difficulty in classroom situations due to their lessened ability to learn by conventional methods. Children with ADHD excel in some tasks, but perform poorly in others because of differences in the ways that their brains acquire and retain information. Slower learning pace,…

In this webinar, Dr. Sarah Catherine K. Moore, Program Director at the Center for Applied Linguistics, outlined factors for content area teachers to consider as they design and deliver lessons for mainstream classrooms that include English learner (EL) students. This Q&A addressed the questions participants had for Dr. Moore following the…

If you have noticed that your teachers need more "tricks up their sleeves" for working with slow learners, you can initiate a staff-development plan for changing that. Here are some suggestions for using the time, resources, and staff that you already have to improve the teaching of slow learners.

Slow learners, such as students with borderline intellectual functioning, represent one of the most challenging student populations for administrators and teachers. Standard systems and supports are often ineffective--even counterproductive--because they fail to meet students' specific learning needs and instead create a cycle of failure. This…

By rejecting the term "slow learner" and using evidence-based response-to-intervention approaches, principals can effectively help struggling learners. This article includes six action steps principals can take immediately to support these learners.

Parents of struggling learners are often unsure of how to assist their children at home. The author provides useful strategies and tips for principals to help parents support and encourage their children who are slow learners.

A student's inability to keep pace with the demands of the classroom can produce feelings of inadequacy, performance anxiety, depleted motivation, and even behavioral maladjustment. Too often, schools respond to such students with well-intentioned procedures or guidelines that fail to meet the needs of the thwarted learner. However, in recent…

A student's inability to keep pace with the demands of the classroom can produce painful feelings of inadequacy, performance anxiety, depleted motivation, and even behavioral maladjustment. Too often, schools respond to such students with well-intentioned procedures or guidelines that fail to meet the needs of the thwarted learner. However, in…

Students with intelligence test scores between 70 and 85 frequently fall into the gap between general and special education. Students with borderline intellectual functioning are a large population at-risk for school failure. Recent educational trends (e.g., the use of response to intervention models of special education eligibility,…

Many technology features that were originally developed to help people with specific sensory impairments are now widely in use. Research is beginning to show the benefits of giving all students access to these capabilities. As such, educators should not hesitate to integrate technology features into instruction for students who struggle with…