Peer support and social relationships have a tremendous influence on development, motivation, and achievement for all students, including struggling learners and those with disabilities. This highly practical book is one of the few resources available to guide classroom teachers and special educators in the application of peer-assisted instructional strategies in grades K-12. Expert contributors describe evidence-based approaches for building students&&&39; skills in reading, writing, math, and other content areas, as well as social competence and executive functioning. Sample lessons and more than a dozen reproducible tools are provided. Purchasers get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials.

"Edited and written by leading scholars, this book not only makes a compelling case for why peers should be a central element in any teaching strategy, but also shows how to make it happen. This is an extraordinary resource for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers. In a word, it’s a masterpiece!"--Donald D. Deshler, PhD, Williamson Family Distinguished Professor of Special Education, University of Kansas

"The Power of Peers in the Classroom pulls together the very best of what works for engaging peers in the social lives and learning of students with disabilities. This compelling book outlines practical pathways educators can use to draw upon the most widely available--and often most effective--source of natural support in schools. These approaches are also promising in their impact on the peers who get involved--the opportunities they receive to get to know and learn alongside their classmates with disabilities can have a lasting influence on their attitudes, expectations, and future pathways.”--Erik Carter, PhD, Department of Special Education, Vanderbilt University

"An invaluable resource for classroom teachers in K-12 who are preparing their students to be college and career ready. The in-depth, research-based instructional strategies relate directly to teaching students to collaboratively problem-solve, support each other in the learning process, and accomplish goals together. Teachers will take away an understanding of why each strategy works and how to put it to use in their classrooms and daily lesson planning. Harnessing the power of peers will increase students&&&39; achievement in the classroom and in life--just what every teacher hopes for."--Barbara Friedlander, teacher and professional development leader, Montgomery County, Maryland

1. Executive Function and Peer Mentoring: Fostering Metacognitive Awareness, Effort, and Academic Success, Lynn Meltzer, Michael Greschler, Katelyn Kurkul, & Wendy Stacey
2. Peer Interactions in the Content Areas: Using Differentiated Instruction Strategies, Kelley S. Regan, Anya S. Evmenova, Margo A. Mastropieri, & Thomas E. Scruggs
3. “Thank You for Helping Me Write a Better Paper”: Peer Support in Learning to Write, Anne Mong Cramer & Linda H. Mason
4. Using Collaborative Strategic Reading to Promote Student Discourse, Karla Scornavacco, Brooke Moore, Alison Boardman, Cristin Jensen Lasser, Pamela Buckley, & Janette K. Klingner
5. Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies to Improve Students&&&39; Word Recognition and Reading Comprehension, Devin M. Kearns, Douglas Fuchs, Lynn S. Fuchs, Kristen L. McMaster, & Laura Saenz
6. Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies in Mathematics, Sarah R. Powell & Lynn S. Fuchs
7. Maximizing the Benefits of Working Cooperativelywith Peers, Kimber L. Wilkerson & Jenna L. Lequia
8. Peer-Supported Instruction for English Learners, Cara Richards-Tutor, Terese Aceves, & Colleen Reutebuch
9. The Power of Preschool Peers to Influence Social Outcomes for Children with Special Needs, Phillip S.Strain & Edward H. Bovey II