Special education professor wins research award

LAWRENCE — The Division for Research of the Council for Exceptional Children has announced that Kathleen Lane, University of Kansas professor of special education, is the 2017 recipient of the Kauffman-Hallahan Distinguished Researcher Award.

This award recognizes individuals or research teams who, over the course of their careers, have made outstanding scientific contributions in basic or applied research in special education.

“It has been an honor to work with such talented colleagues, students and district partners through the years to design, implement and evaluate comprehensive, integrated, three-tiered models of prevention with an emphasis on systematic screenings,” Lane said. “This prestigious award represents the incredible commitment of so many remarkable individuals through the years. I am humbled to receive such a high honor.”

Lane’s research focuses on students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Her scholarly work has consistently demonstrated a clear research-to-practice emphasis, and consequently, she and her colleagues have worked extensively with school, district and state educational programs.

A major emphasis has been on the development and validation of comprehensive, integrated, three-tiered models of prevention. These models enable schools to prevent the development of learning and behavior problems for students who have emotional and behavioral disorders or who are at risk for them. The models also remediate the effects of existing challenges that students experience.

Lane's research has been designed to increase learning and understanding of evidence-based prevention practices. She also has been engaged in consistent efforts to validate preventive strategies, interventions for students at risk for difficulties and schoolwide program interventions.

Lane has been published in more than 160 refereed journals, primarily research-based. She is the author of eight books, 31 chapters and an 25 other publications. Her research has yielded external support approximating $10 million.

Lane earned her doctoral, master’s and bachelor’s degrees at the University of California, Riverside. She has served on the faculty of the University of Arizona, California State University-Los Angeles, Peabody College of Vanderbilt and North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She came to KU in 2012.