Recommended Links
The following are links to recommended organizations and web sites that provide information on learning disabilities, ADHD, and other issues.
You can also see this list organized by type of organization, by focus, or by audience.
Poetry Portfolios: Using Poetry to Teach Reading and Writing
This lesson from ReadWriteThink supports students' exploration of language and writing skills as they read and dissect poetry. Through a weekly poem, students explore meaning, sentence structure, rhyming words, sight words, vocabulary, and print concepts. (Appropriate for elementary, but some strategies can be adapted for older ELLs.)
Poetry: A Powerful Medium for Literacy and Technology Development
Research article on the positive effects of poetry on literacy skill development by Dr. Janette Hughes of the University of Ontario's Institute of Technology.
This website has a number of creative lesson plans and ideas to use when working on poetry writing.
Policy Analysis for California Education
PACE is an independent research center that aims to enrich education policy debates with sound analysis and hard evidence. From preschool, to K-12, to higher education we are dedicated to carefully defining issues and assessing the effectiveness of policies and programs. PACE provides analysis and assistance to policymakers, educators, and the public.
Portraits of a Green Generation
Learn more about the cadre of young activists who organized the first Earth Day, including Arturo Sandoval, a Hispanic civil rights leader.
Practitioner Toolkit: Working with Adult English Language Learners
The Practitioner Toolkit: Working with Adult English Language Learners and a related free online course are resources for new adult education and family literacy instructors. The Toolkit includes a FAQ section, a first-day orientation guide, lesson plans, and research-to-practice papers on critical topics.
Offers resources for Pre-K advocates, policymakers, business and community leaders, educators, and family.
Pre-K Now Article: Pre-K and Latinos*
"Pre-K and Latinos: The Foundation for America's Future."
This Spanish-language website from PreK Now offers parents a wide variety of information about early education. Topics covered basic facts about pre-school, different types and quality levels of pre-school, and the benefits pre-k brings to children.
This practitioner brief from The National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems highlights four key elements of culturally- and linguistically-responsive prereferral intervention for culturally and linguistically diverse students: (1) Preventing School Underachievement and Failure, (2) Early Intervention for Struggling Learners, (3) Diagnostic/Prescriptive Teaching, and (4) Availability of General Education Problem-Solving Support Systems.
This Spanish-only site has themed units for preschool classrooms. Activities based around animals and letters, as well as hands-on activities and coloring pages, are highlighted here.
The Primers provide background information and resources to facilitate the successful inclusion of students with disabilities in charter schools.
Printing Press: Student Publishing Tools
This page, sponsored by the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), is designed to help students create all types of newspapers, brochures, flyers, and booklets. There are many templates to choose from, as well as a variety of publishing tools to add interest to the final product.
Pro Teacher: Storytelling Lesson Plans
Links to storytelling activities and lesson plans for teachers.
The Symposium on Over-Age Limited English Proficient Students with Interrupted Formal Schooling was convened to update educators on efforts by the New York State Education Department to profile these youngsters and to identify effective instructional interventions shaped by the goals of the New York State learning standards. While this symposium took place in 1997, the proceedings will provide valuable resources and insight to educators.
The goal of the PROMISE Initiative, in response to the vast needs represented by English Learners in the six southern California counties, is to marshal the expertise and resources of the six counties by developing a powerful infrastructure for conducting research and development, building capacity, and providing high quality sustained support to schools, teachers, and providers.
This website has many original "first day of school" ideas submitted by classroom teachers, and many are grade level specific.
Public Advocates challenges the systemic causes of poverty and discrimination by promoting civil rights through advocacy, litigation, and partnership with low-income communities, people of color, and immigrants.
PLA's purpose is to advance the development and effectiveness of public library service and public librarians. The association exists to provide a diverse program of communication, publication, advocacy, continuing education, and programming for its members and others interested in the advancement of public library service.
Public Policy Institute of California
PPIC is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public policy in California through independent, objective, nonpartisan research. PPIC examines a number of issues, including education and immigration.
