It is important that best practices in writing instruction be implemented in special education and inclusion-based general education classrooms. Recent reports published by the Alliance for Excellent Education (Graham & Hebert, 2010; Graham & Perin, 2007), data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) (Salahu-Din, Persky, & Miller, 2008) and others (National Commission on Writing [NCW], 2003, 2004, 2006) indicate that the expressive writing needs of students have become a critical and life- influencing problem. Unfortunately, many teachers are at a loss as to how to instruct children, particularly those with identified learning disabilities (LD), in a manner that can assist them to produce higher quality writing. This article provides an overview of current research on the writing needs of students with LD and a practitioner-based reflection on the EmPOWER writing program (Singer & Bashir, 2004a, 2004b, 2004c, 2006), a resource that can help teachers meet the needs of struggling writer.
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