Learning to Achieve: The Program

The National Institute for Literacy developed Learning to Achieve based on the latest rigorous research to increase practitioners’ knowledge of learning disabilities and their ability to provide effective services to adults with LD. The program launches in July 2009, and six five-day training sessions will be offered across the nation over the course of the summer. A total of about 150 practitioners from 17 different states are invited to participate. Learning to Achieve participation is not open to the public.

Learning to Achieve is replacing the Institute’s previous training known as Bridges to Practice. Learning to Achieve is based on practitioners’ needs and requests, and a comprehensive evaluation of the old Bridges training. The purpose of the evaluation, which began in the fall of 2006, was to determine what worked well in the old training, and what could be changed and improved.  The evaluators interviewed trainers, observed trainings, and examined the Bridges guidebooks and materials, all of which informed the Institute’s program evaluation.

The evaluation also included a comprehensive examination of the latest research on adults with learning disabilities, which is further informing the development of the new training and materials. Five LD experts completed an extensive literature review, which covers the following topics: assessment; the impact of LD; accommodations; teaching methods; English language learners; and transitioning.

The Institute also offered two interim training sessions in the summer of 2008 to gain valuable feedback for revisions before Learning to Achieve was initiated. Those sessions, both for three days, were held in Virginia and Georgia. They covered a portion of the content that will be offered during the five-day Learning to Achieve training. The interim sessions emphasized information about learning disabilities, including definitions, self-determination, legal issues, and accommodations, as well as opportunities to learn and practice training techniques. 

Last updated: Tuesday, 14-Jul-2009 10:06:37 EDT