Leadership and Instruction: Evidence-Based Practices in Special Education

The use of highly effective instructional practices is imperative when teaching students with disabilities, and administrators play an important role in facilitating the appropriate implementation of effective instruction. In this chapter, the authors describe the research-to-practice gap in special education, including primary reasons for its existence. They define evidence-based and promising practices, and provide resources for identifying both. The chapter concludes with discussions of important caveats to consider when identifying and implementing practices supported by the best available evidence, and recommendations for facilitating the appropriate implementation of those practices. A vignette is provided to illustrate how these recommendations might be applied in a typical school setting.