This meta-analytic review investigated the relationship between reading outcomes for students with disabilities (learning disabilities, behavior disorders) and the grouping formats (studentpairs, smallgroups, combinations ofdifferentformats) used during their reading instruction. Twenty studies producedbetween 1975and 1995 met criteria for inclusion in Wortman, P. M. (1994). Judging research quality. In H. Cooper & L. V. Hedges (Eds.), The handbook ofresearch synthesis (pp. 97-109). New York: Russell Sage Foundation." Exceptional Childrent Indicates studies that were included in the metaanalysis.

Recent advances in research on best practices for educating students with disabilities have improved the knowledge base about these practices. However, there remains a significant gap between the knowledge we have about these best practices, and the extent to which it has been implemented. Two common and simple explanations for this complex problem, “blame the teacher” and “blame the researcher,” are both inadequate to explain this gap. Sustainability grants are designed to help understand linkages between research and practice, so that the knowledge about effective practices might be better represented and implemented in classrooms. Some facilitators for sustainability are the ability of teachers to give input along the way; and a feeling of collaboration, sensitivity, and responsiveness between the researcher and the practitioner. Issues related to the extent to which sustainability can reasonably be expected over time are presented.

A year-long researcher-teacher professional development group with a next-year followup was conducted with seven general education teachers from two elementary schools in a large urban school district in the southeastern United States. The two schools had recently restructured their special education program to include students with LD in the general education class full-time. Teachers were taught four reading and writing practices (one during each nine-week grading block). All but two of the teachers partially or completely implemented the practices during the nine-week period. Sustained implementation during the school year was maintained by four of the seven teachers, and three of the seven teachers continued high implementation of the instructional practices during the next school year. The components of successful professional development programs are discussed and implications for teacher education are offered.