Improving practice by taking steps toward technological improvements in academic intervention in the new millennium

Abstract

This paper provides a conceptual blueprint for academic intervention research in the new millennium. Academic intervention in schools will be improved when available technologies can guide professional decision making in ways that improve student achievement. Several conditions necessary for the development of useful technologies with broad applicability are discussed. A case demonstration is provided where an instructional decision-making model that adheres to the conceptual blueprint described in this paper is used to guide assessment, treatment, and evaluation of outcomes for a student having difficulty learning to read. The implications of this approach for linking research and practice are addressed through an examination of professional judgment issues confronting school psychologists in the field. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.