Lindsay Ruhter

Lindsay Ruhter portrait
  • Research Associate

Contact Info

Personal Links

Biography —

Lindsay Ruhter is a doctoral candidate in special education at the University of Kansas. Her research interests include building teacher capacity to use data to inform their teaching in inclusive settings through professional development and exploring how to apply the UDL framework to next-generation assessment and instructional design in inclusive settings, particularly for students with complex support needs.

Ruhter is a Research Associate at Accessible Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Systems (ATLAS), a research center at the University of Kansas with more than 150 staff and more than $20M in annual revenues.

Ruhter currently works on IES- and OSEP-funded projects to design, implement, and evaluate professional learning models for teachers of students with extensive support needs. While at ATLAS, she also served as the science test development coordinator for the Dynamic Learning Maps® Alternate Assessment System and on the assessment design team for an OSEP-funded grant. Before joining ATLAS, Ruhter was a special education teacher in Virginia where she taught students with mild to moderate disabilities and students with extensive support needs.

Education —

Ph.D. in Special Education (expected), University of Kansas
M.A.Ed. in Special Education, College of William and Mary
Summa Cum Laude

Selected Publications —

Karvonen, M., Ruhter, L., & Clark, A. Data to support academic instruction for students with extensive support needs: availability, use, and perceptions. [Manuscript submitted].  

Karvonen, M., Ruhter, L., Koebley, S., Wakeman, S. Y., & Pugalee, D. UDL in design for inquiry-based PD on science instruction for students with extensive support needs. [Manuscript submitted].  

Ruhter, L., & Karvonen, M. (2023). The impact of professional development on data-based decision-making for students with extensive support needs. Remedial and Special Education, 0(0). 

Ruhter, L. (2022). Using the UDL framework in inquiry-based science teaching to support students with extensive support seeds in inclusive classrooms. Inclusive Practices, 1(4), 139–146. 

Wakeman, S. Y., Karvonen, M., Flowers, C., & Ruhter. L. (2022). Alternate assessments and monitoring student progress in inclusive classrooms. In J. McLeskey, F. Spooner, B. Algozzine, N. L. Waldron (Eds.) Handbook of Effective Inclusive Elementary Schools: Research and Practice (pp. 302-321). New York: Routledge.

Selected Presentations —

Miller, A., Ruhter, L., & Mansouri, M. (2023, April 14). How the Interconnectedness of Systemic Ableism and Teacher Candidates’ Agentic Moves Shape Inclusive Education. Presentation at the AERA Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, United States. 

Pugalee, D., Ruhter, L., Karvonen, M., Wakeman, S., & Koebley, S. (2023, April 13). Professional Development in Science Education for Special Educators Incorporating the 5E Model and Three-Dimensional Learning. Presentation at the AERA Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, United States. 

Ruhter, L., Karvonen, M., & Clark, A. K. (2023, April 13). Current Practices in Instructional Decision Making for Teachers of Students with Extensive Support Needs. Poster presented at the AERA Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, United States. 

Ruhter, L., Williams, T. R., Karvonen, M., Koebley, S., & Wakeman, S. (2023, March 3). Universally designed, inquiry-based science instruction for students with extensive support needs. Presentation at the Council for Exceptional Children Convention & Expo, Louisville, KY, United States. 

Ruhter, L., & Karvonen, M. (2021, July). UDL in large-scale assessment: Facilitating innovative, engaging assessments for all. Presentation at the 2021 CAST UDL Symposium [virtual]. 

Ruhter, L., & Karvonen, M. (2021, April). Accessibility for next generation science assessments: Including all students. Presentation at the 2021 annual conference of the Council of State Science Supervisors [virtual].

Awards & Honors —

  • Julie Carden & Vicki Yount Memorial Scholarship (2022-2023) 

  • Grace M. Phinney Scholarship (2021-2022, 2022-2023)

Grants & Other Funded Activity —

Contributing Writer for Funded Proposals

5E Model Professional Development in Science Education for Special Educators. (2018). U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Special Education Research. Contributing writer. Grant awarded to the University of Kansas Center for Research. ($1.4 million). PI: Dr. Meagan Karvonen. 

Innovations in Science Maps, Assessments, and Reporting Technologies. (2017). U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. Contributing writer. Grant awarded to the Maryland State Department of Education. ($3.8 million). PI: Dr. Meagan Karvonen. 

Special Educator Technology-based Training of Trainers (SETTT) for Success (2020). U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. Contributing writer. Grant awarded to the University of Kansas Center for Research. ($2.5 million). PI: Dr. Sarah Koebley.

Memberships —

Professional Affiliations

  • American Education Research Association (AERA)

  • Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)

Reviewer

  • Topics in Early Childhood Special Education