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14 COLLEGES & GRADuate Schools ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ DECEMBER 2006Education UpdateOctober 2006 IssueP.O. #: 18032Research in Learning Disordersat Landmark Collegeby Sybil MaiminIn tandem with its mission of providing aneffective and supportive college education forstudents with learning disabilities and AttentionDeficit Hyperactivity Disorders (LD and/or AD/HD), Landmark College in Putney, Vermont has,since its inception twenty years ago, activelyresearched and disseminated knowledge andbest practices about how to serve this specialpopulation. In 2001, the LandmarkCollege Institute for Research andTraining ((LCIRT) was establishedwith ambitious goals and a first-ratestaff. The Institute conducts research(major funding comes from state,federal, and foundation grants),offers courses for professionals onand off campus and online (graduatecredit available), oversees teacherassessment and training, conductstopical non-credit workshops forteachers, parents, students, and interested others,makes conference presentations, and publishesteaching guides and monographs based on itsfindings. Its clients include public, private, andparochial schools, two and four-year colleges,and schools devoted to pupils with learning disabilitiesas well as schools with only some specialeducation students. The Institute is committed tomaking its best practices available to all.On-campus courses during the summer forthose who work with students with LD and/or AD/HD in middle, high, or post-secondaryschools include effective instruction, teachingmath, biology, writing, reading, study skills, foreignlanguages, and technology, as well as helpingschools meet students with disabilities standards.Educators can receive certification in WilsonLanguage Training, an evidence-based system ofinstruction for problem readers. In addition, manyof these courses are given online throughout theyear. Research Institute personnel also travel tohigh schools and colleges around the country withthese offerings, customized as necessary, and willeven design a new course, if required.Research initiatives have included a UniversalDesign and Usability Lab that evaluates the effectivenessand usability of websites and softwarerelated to science, technology, engineering, andmath (STEM) for people with learning disorders.Dr. Steve Fadden, director of the Institute, explainsthe goal is elimination of barriers that might stymielearning or career prospects. Another projectspecifically targets math, often key to other sciencedisciplines, for evaluationof instructional tools becauseunusable math resources wouldkeep individuals with learningproblems out of science andmath-related fields. Landmark isone of ten colleges belonging tothe STARS Alliance, a NationalScience Foundation fundedprogram to increase participationin computing careers forunderrepresented populations,such as women, minorities, and people withlearning disabilities. Explains Fadden, “Studentscan attain career goals if they learn the path togetting there, the basic building blocks.” ARIVE(Advancing Reading in Vermont) a state-fundedprogram that will be disseminated nation-wide,tackles the subject of improving literacy fordiverse learners from 4th to 12th grades. Witha “Demo Disabilities” grant, Landmark is partneringwith four other community colleges inNevada, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Vermont todevelop special materials to aid faculty and staffin educating students with learning problems.Landmark has acquired a new tool in its testingarsenal, an eye tracker that follows a reader’s eyemovements, potentially indicating the differentways people access information. This way of“quantitatively showing what is going on in thebrain,” can lead to changes in texts and websitesdesigned for diverse learners, particularly goodnews for people with LD and AD/HD. It is aproductive time for the Institute for Research andTraining, and many more exciting projects are onthe drawing board.#Dr. Steve FaddenDay School Think Tank Addresses Leadership CrisisFifty of the brightest minds in Jewish educationleadership recently participated in a twoday1 ⁄4 think tank consultation held at The Jewish5 5 ⁄8 x 7Theological Seminary in New York City on thecrisis in day school educational leadership. Thecrisis in educational leadership is being felt inboth the public and private school sector andacross religious and secular lines. The need hasbecome even more pronounced for the Jewishcommunity as the last decade has witnessed anexplosion of new Jewish day schools and theexpansion of existing day schools throughoutNorth America. A ground-breaking interdenominationalconsortium of organizations dedicated toJewish day schools in North America decided thetime was ripe to join together in addressing thisvery real crisis of leadership.Following months of preliminary work andresearch to gather best practices from the publicand private education world and the for-profit andnon-profit business sectors, a planning committeedeveloped a number of action plans, whichbecame the focus of the think tank meetings. Thegoal was to assess the feasibility of implementingthe proposed actions and/or adding new initiativesto the list.”We were delighted to be invited to participatein the group as we delved into the issues surroundingthe leadership crisis,” explained RabbiJoshua Elkin, Executive Director of Partnershipfor Excellence in Jewish Education (PEJE). “Weare just begun to address the problem and I lookat Bank Streetforward to working collaboratively with the otherparticipants to find creative solutions for identifying,cultivating, continueshiring and supporting excellentleaders for day schools across the country. Thefact that a think to tank inspire was convened meto discuss thisissue is a clear indication of its importance.”#College & University Directory1 2 3 4Wed., Feb. 22, 6 p.m.5STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORKFifth and Sixth Floors325 Hudson Street(corner of Vandam)New York CityEducation Update - college directory2/7/062.375" x 1.75"Come to Goddard as you are.Leave the way you want to be.1-800-468-4888www.goddard.eduOpen House May 14th- Plainfield, VTI Am Interested In Applying❑ Freshman❑ Day❑ H.S. Student❑ Teacher❑ Transfer❑ EveningAs My Status❑ CollegeStudentGraduate School Open HouseThursday, October 12, 5:15 PMPlease mail to:College Directory - Education Update17 Lexington Ave., Box A1207New York, NY 10010Education UpdateSeptember 2006 IssueP.O. #: 17897Bank Street College Graduate School of Education610 West 112th Street, New York, NY 10025-1898Education Update5 5 ⁄8 x 7 October 1 ⁄4 2006 IssueP.O. #: 18032www.bankstreet.edu 212.875.46985 5 ⁄8 x 7 1 ⁄4Graduate School Open HouseGraduate Thursday, School October Open 12, House 5:15 PMTuesday, September 19, 5:15 PMBank Street College Graduate School of Education610 West 112th Street, New York, NY 10025-1898Bank Street College Graduate School of Education610 West www.bankstreet.edu 112th Street, New York, NY 212.875.469810025-1898www.bankstreet.edu 212.875.4698Mail this Coupon“What I learnedin my ownclassroom.”Which— A BANK STREET ALUMNAprogram willinspire you?INNOVATION INTEACHING AND LEARNINGPlease Include your phone numberDECEMBER 2006“What I learned“What Bank I learned Streetcontinuesat Bank Streetto continues inspire meto inspire mein my ownin my ownclassroom.”classroom.”A BANK STREET COLLEGE ALUMNA— A BANK STREET ALUMNAWhichprogram willinspire you?INNOVATION INTEACHING AND LEARNINGINNOVATION INTEACHING AND LEARNINGName:__________________________________________________________Address:_______________________________________________________Please circle catalogs you wish to receive:1 2 3 4 5City:_________________________________State:___Zip:_______________Phone (incl. area code): ____________________________________________________