Research from the special education community provides an excellent resource of scientifically based reading research that can influence instruction for students with disabilities, as well as other students at risk for reading difficulties. This special issue features the work of four researchers and their teams who have contributed to the excellent research base on reading practices for students with disabilities and those at risk for reading difficulties. In addition, the articles also: Discuss the importance of including expository text in reading comprehension and instruction and outline the effectiveness of instruction focused on how such text is structured; Address vocabulary enhancement during storybook reading and provide a background on the importance of vocabulary development in reading and learning from text; Focus on the First-Grade Peer Assisted Learning Strategies Reading Program to discuss outcomes of empirically-validated "best practices;" and Provide a conceptual framework of factors that need to be in place to support the critical linkage between teacher's knowledge and skills and student outcomes.