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RESEARCH AGENDA

Every child is entitled to the provision of quality education that will enable learning of

basic academic skills; this includes the child with dyslexia. Approximately 20% of the

population, or one out of five individuals, are affected by dyslexia, a specific learning disability

that involves literacy acquisition difficulties (The Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity,

2015). The onus of this educational responsibility is placed upon teachers to ensure that all

students with or without learning disabilities are meeting academic goals and obtaining literary

success. However, only 34% of fourth grade students enrolled in public schools demonstrated

proficient reading skills on a national reading assessment, and 21% of American adults read

below a fifth grade level (National Center for Educational Statistics [NCEP], 2013). It is striking

that the percentage of individuals with dyslexia mirrors the percentage of adults reading below

their age level. Such grim statistics suggest that perhaps teaching reading is not so basic, and a

greater emphasis needs to be placed on training teachers to provide evidence-based reading

instruction to students with dyslexia and/or those struggling to read (Lyon & Weiser, 2009;

Mather, Bos, & Babur, 2001; Moats & Foorman, 2003). Given that the largest group of special

education students are those with specific learning disabilities, (Clark, 1997) teachers will

inevitably be responsible for instructing a student with dyslexia, (whether or not the child is

identified as such), throughout their careers and it is critical that teachers have the knowledge

and insights necessary to support these students.

As a long term goal, my research will center around four main questions: a) How do we

measure teacher knowledge and determine proficiency? b) What knowledge of dyslexia do

teachers currently have? c) What training do teachers need to teach students with reading

disabilities? d) How much training are teacher preparation programs in higher education
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devoting to teaching students with reading disabilities? The field currently does not have an

agreed upon method for determining a knowledgeable reading teacher. That is, what constitutes

a teacher who knows enough to teach reading to a child with a learning disability? Teacher

surveys and teacher assessments are often included as part of research studies, but not one

assessment is consistently accepted. I will begin my research by developing a teacher assessment

tool to determine what knowledge of dyslexia teachers have in the areas of prevalence, origins,

characteristics, and treatment. After a standardized measurement for teacher knowledge has

been developed, this tool will be utilized to measure preservice teachers, practicing teachers, and

professors knowledge of dyslexia. The results of this can lead to which areas of training teachers

are lacking in most and can drive future training projects.

Second, my research will focus on the measurement of appropriate teacher training to

develop proficient teachers for those with reading disabilities. A recent online teacher training

module has been designed to improve teacher knowledge of dyslexia. I would like to plan a

quasi-experimental group research project that provides preservice teachers with this online

intervention, perhaps in conjunction with a training in the skills deemed critical through previous

survey studies. Pretest and posttest measures of knowledge will be given and any change in

knowledge will be measured. If growth is indeed determined, then further studies following this

design could be implemented in practicing teachers training with the possibilities of measuring

students progress as well. The ultimate goal will be to determine the relationship between

student reading success and teacher training of students with reading disabilities.

I also would like to establish a separate, longitudinal study in which beginning teachers

are followed for the first four years as they are provided with different levels of reading training

with the effects of their instruction measured through assessment. I would also assess these
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teachers students scores in reading to see if the students scores are affected by their teachers

training.

This aggressive research plan will address several of the problems affecting the success

of students with dyslexia in reading today. The development of this research could lead to

established criterion for teacher knowledge, evidence based teacher training programs, and as a

result, increased reading ability in students. Every childs right is to receive high quality,

evidence based reading instruction and my goal is to develop research that ensures teachers are

provided the knowledge and skills to implement that instruction successfully.

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References

Bertin, P., & Perlman, E. (1993). Preventing academic failure: A multisensory curriculum for

teaching reading, spelling and handwriting in the elementary classroom [Teaching

Manual]. Retrieved from http://www.PAFprogram.com

Davis, R., & Braun, E. (1994). The gift of dyslexia. New York, NY: Penguin Putnam Inc.

Foorman, B., & Moats, L. C. (2004). Conditions for sustaining research-based practices in early

reading instruction. Remedial and Special Education, 25, 51-60.

Joshi, R. M., Binks, E., Graham, L., Ocker-Dean, E., Smith, D. L., & Boulware-Gooden, R.

(2009). Do textbooks used in university reading education courses conform to the

instructional recommendations of the national reading panel? Journal of Learning

Disabilities, 42(5), 458-463.

Moats, L. C. (1999). Teaching reading is rocket science. Washington, DC: American Federation

of Teachers.

Moats, L. C., & National Governors Association, Washington, DC Center for Best Practices.

(2001). Improving reading by preparing teachers (Issue Brief).

Moats, L. C. (2009). Knowledge foundations for teaching reading and spelling. Reading and

Writing, 22, 379-399.

National Reading Panel. (2003). Put reading first: The research building blocks of reading

instruction. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.

Shaywitz, S. (2003). Overcoming dyslexia: A new and complete science-based program for

reading problems at any level. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf Publishing.

Washburn, E. K., Joshi, R. M., & Binks-Cantrell, E. S. (2011). Teacher knowledge of basic

language concepts and dyslexia. Dyslexia, 17, 165-183.