Abstract
This study examined the instructional practices of special education teachers nominated as effective in teaching elementary students with reading disabilities to become successful readers and writers. Thirty-one special education teachers from 19 different states completed questionnaires about their instructional practices. These teachers reported practices that included components of whole language and direct instruction approaches. Most teachers identified with a whole language philosophy, consistently reporting attention to a literate environment, use of themes to organize instruction, motivating students by using authentic tasks, encouraging ownership of learning, and development of background knowledge. Homogeneous grouping was common for about half of instruction, as was direct instruction of skills, including concepts of print, alphabetic principle, letter sound associations, decoding skills, text elements, and comprehension strategies. In general, the greater the needs of students, the more direct instruction they received. This instruction, however, was most typically embedded in the context of real reading and writing.