LD News is a free e-publication of the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD). It is sent out monthly and addresses issues related to learning disabilities for parents, care-givers, educators, advocates and individuals with learning disabilities.

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Letter from NCLD
NCLD's Executive Director, James Wendorf, discusses NCLD's commitment to closing the achievement gap for all children, including those who struggle with learning.

NCLD Launches Early Learning Web Site, RecognitionandResponse.org
A new Web site -- RecognitionandResponse.org -- has been launched by the National Center for Learning Disabilities to provide free information and resources to educators and early childhood practitioners as part of a multi-partner initiative. The conceptual framework for the Recognition and Response system was developed by the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute in collaboration with national and state partners, including NCLD.

RecognitionandResponse.org provides early education professionals with information about the Recognition & Response system, as well as with a variety of resources to help address the needs of young children in the year before kindergarten, and tools to help communicate effectively with parents. It includes information on screening and assessment, evidence-based interventions, parent engagement, policy, and successful transition to Kindergarten. It features easy-to-read articles, checklists and fact sheets with action-oriented information, as well as policy statements, legislative summaries and research papers that provide background material that can help early learning professionals integrate the Recognition & Response system into their programs.

Research Roundup
NCLD's Director of Professional Services, Dr. Sheldon Horowitz, discusses the role that intelligence testing should play in the determination of LD status, in Intelligent Thinking vs. Intelligence Testing: Putting the Discrepancy Model to Rest.

Policy Updates
Find out about  President Bush's press conference on the No Child Left Behind Act, read up on the U.S. Inspector General Issues Report on the Reading First Program, and learn what needs to be done to involve parents in education according to the provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act.

News Desk
Learn about the less-recognized achievement gap faced by United States high schools, find out about the importance of pre-kindergarten, and discover that many teachers don't have all the skills they need for effective reading instruction.

LD Links
Find out what traits help resilient students be successful, get help finding accommodations for the GEDs, and learn what kind of mentoring is the right kind of mentoring for today's youth.

RTI Update:
The Center for Educational Networking has developed a two-part series on RTI, the first of which is now online. Based on the book Response to Intervention: Policy Considerations and Implementation, from the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, this document discusses the definition, principles, essential components, foundations in research and policy, and support for RTI on the national front.

To visit this Web site, click here.