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Deshler appointed to National Institute for Literacy board

Donald D. Deshler

The U.S. Senate has confirmed a KU professor's presidential appointment to serve on the advisory board of the National Institute for Literacy.

Donald D. Deshler was appointed to serve the remainder of a three-year term expiring Jan. 30, 2008. He is a professor in the Department of Special Education and is director of the Center for Research on Learning at KU.

The National Institute for Literacy provides leadership on literacy issues, including the improvement of reading instruction for children, youth and adults. In consultation with the U.S. Departments of Education, Labor and Health and Human Services, the institute serves as a national resource on current, comprehensive literacy research, practice and policy.

Deshler and his colleagues at the Center for Research on Learning designed the Strategic Instruction Model intervention program used by thousands of schools nationwide. In 2004, Deshler was invited to brief President Bush and first lady Laura Bush on SIM and his research.

SIM is an approach to teaching adolescents who struggle to become good readers, writers and learners. It is based on the reality that for adolescents to meet high standards, they must be able to read and understand large volumes of complex, difficult reading materials. Additionally, they must be able to express themselves in writing. SIM includes instruction in visual imagery, paraphrasing, vocabulary and strategies to learn sentence, paragraph and theme writing. More than 400,000 educators and 3,500 school districts have adopted SIM components, and several states – including California, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Vermont – have implemented SIM statewide.

Deshler has received the J.E. Wallace Wallin Award from the Council for Exceptional Children and the Learning Disabilities Association Award for outstanding research and service for at-risk populations.

NOTABLE ALUMS

Navy Rear Admiral Mark Heinrich recently took command of the Defense Supply Center in Richmond, Va., the primary source for nearly 1.25 million repair parts and operating supply items supporting 1,300 major weapons systems. Heinrich holds a master's degree in business administration and a master's of science degree in petroleum management from KU.