Exceptional Students: Preparing Teachers for the 21st Century
Ronald L. Taylor, Ed.D.is currently professor of Exceptional Student Education at Florida Atlantic University.  He received his bachelor&#8217;s and master&#8217;s degrees in Psychology at Austin College and Trinity University.  He received his doctorate in Special Education from the University of Houston.  Prior to coming to Florida Atlantic University, Dr. Taylor was a school psychologist and consulting teacher for a Title III grant that focused on working with culturally diverse students.  He also served on the faculty in Special Education at Boston University.  Dr. Taylor has published extensively, including 8 books (18 counting various editions) and over 20 chapters and 90 articles.  He is currently completing the eighth edition of his assessment text,Assessment of Exceptional Students: Educational and Psychological Procedures. He has received over 2 million dollars in grant funding.  He is active in several professional organizations, having made over 60 presentations, and was editor of Diagnostique, the journal for the assessment division of the Council for Exceptional Children.Lydia R. Smiley, Ph.D.is a professor of Exceptional Student Education at Florida Atlantic University.  She received her doctorate in Special Education from Georgia State University. Dr. Smiley co-authoredLanguage delays and disorders: From research to practice(1998) and has also written several articles and chapters on a variety of topics. She teaches both undergraduate and graduate classes and has been the recipient of several teaching awards and the CLD Professional of the Year award. Her current interests are in methods of teaching students with mild/moderate disabilities and language disorders.Stephen B. Richards, Ed.Dis an Associate Professor and Coordinator for Intervention Specialist Programs at the University of Dayton.  He teaches in both the undergraduate and graduate licensure programs.  He has co-authored three textbooks,Mental Retardation:  Historical perspectives, current practices, and future directions(2005);Single subject research and design: Applications in educational and clinical settings(1999) andExceptional children: Integrating research and teaching(1995); in addition to journal articles on a variety of topics.  His current interests are in assessing the preparation of pre-service teacher education candidates for their first year in teaching.