About

Lysandra Cook is a professor at the UVA School of Education and Human Development with scholarship interests centered on the translation of research to practice in special education. Her work includes issues related to the identification and implementation of evidence-based practices, providing guidance for pre- and in-service special education teachers to be critical consumers of research, and understanding disability as a natural part of the human experience. She infuses contemplative practices into her coursework, drawing on her background as a 500-hour registered yoga teacher, and teaches courses related to social emotional learning, classroom and behavior management, teaching breath work and mindful movement to children and youth, reading and writing intervention, and disability in the media. Prior to her academic career, she spent six years as a middle school special education teacher, working in both residential facilities and public schools.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Psychology
• Social Science
• Developmental psychology
• Sociology
• Psychotherapist
• Statistics
• Mathematics
• Management science
• Linguistics
• Epistemology
• Mathematics education
• Medicine
• Psychiatry

Selected publications

• Analyzing the Effectiveness of Content Acquisition Podcasts: A Meta-Analysis

  Journal of Special Education Technology · 2025-12-08

  article

  Content Acquisition Podcasts (CAPs) are multimedia-based instructional tools designed to support K-12 students and educators. This meta-analysis synthesized findings from 29 studies to examine the overall effects of CAPs on learning outcomes, including declarative content knowledge, application of knowledge, and maintenance of learned material. Eligible studies included multi-group pretest-posttest designs with sufficient data to calculate effect sizes. A total of 99 effect sizes were extracted and analyzed using a random-effects model, with moderator analyses conducted on CAP type and participant population. Results indicated consistently robust and statistically significant effects for all three outcome types (declarative content knowledge: g = 0.82; application: g = 0.82; maintenance: g = 0.86). Moderator analyses, conducted on declarative content knowledge, indicated no significant moderation by CAP type or participant population. These findings suggest that CAPs consistently produce strong effects and may serve as an effective and adaptable instructional tool across a range of educational settings.

  PublisherDOI

• A Comprehensive Systematic Review of Targeted Evidence-Based Reviews in Special Education

  Remedial and Special Education · 2025-12-27

  article

  Scholars in special education and related fields have developed and applied standards for classifying evidence-based practices (EBPs). Although many EBPs in special education have been identified by researchers applying one or more sets of EBP standards in systematic reviews published in peer-reviewed journal articles, this literature has yet to be synthesized. The purpose of this paper is to examine the classification of instructional practices in targeted EBP reviews published in peer-reviewed journals. A systematic review of literature identified 117 targeted EBP reviews published between 2005 and 2021, in which we identified 32 practices that were solely classified as EBPs. The findings of this review underscore the importance of conducting and reporting methodologically sound research to expand and clarify the evidence base for practices in special education. Implications for practitioners include the need to prioritize practices using the best available evidence while remaining critical consumers of emerging research.

  PublisherDOI

• Analyzing the Effectiveness of Content Acquisition Podcasts: A Meta-Analysis

  2025-09-11 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Content Acquisition Podcasts (CAPs) are multimedia-based instructional tools designed to support K-12 students and educators. This meta-analysis synthesized findings from 29 studies to examine the overall effects of CAPs on learning outcomes, including declarative content knowledge, application of knowledge, and maintenance of learned material. Eligible studies included multi-group pretest-posttest designs with sufficient data to calculate effect sizes. A total of 99 effect sizes were extracted and analyzed using a random-effects model, with moderator analyses conducted on CAP type and participant population. Results indicated consistently robust and statistically significant effects for all three outcome types (declarative content knowledge: g = 0.82; application: g = 0.82; maintenance: g = 0.86). Moderator analyses, conducted on declarative content knowledge, indicated no significant moderation by CAP type or participant population. These findings suggest that CAPs consistently produce strong effects and may serve as an effective and adaptable instructional tool across a range of educational settings.

  PublisherDOI

• Considering Social Validity in Special Education Research

  Learning Disabilities Research and Practice · 2023-10-23 · 23 citations

  articleSenior author

  This article is part of a special LDRP research–to–practice series introducing key concepts to enable special education practitioners and other nonresearchers to be more informed research consumers. In the article, we explore how social validity is assessed in special education research and how to interpret social validity assessments. Rather than focusing on measuring intervention effects, social validity involves assessing the social importance of the goals, procedures, and outcomes of interventions and programs. We define social validity, provide questions to consider when examining assessments of social validity in research papers, review approaches commonly used to assess social validity with examples from the research literature, and make recommendations for reconciling findings of positive intervention effects on targeted outcomes but absent or negative findings related to social validity in a study. Our take–home message is that considering social validity assessments helps research consumers interpret study findings and informs how to apply findings in practice.

  PublisherDOI

• Considering Social Validity in Special Education Research

  2023-03-09

  preprintSenior author

  This paper is part of a special LDRP research-to-practice series introducing key concepts to enable special education practitioners and other non-researchers to be more informed research consumers. In the paper we explore how social validity is assessed in special education research and how to interpret social validity assessments. Rather than focus on measuring intervention effects, social validity involves assessing the social importance of the goals, procedures, and outcomes of interventions and programs. We define social validity, provide questions to consider when examining assessments of social validity in research papers, review approaches commonly used to assess social validity with examples from the research literature, and make recommendations for reconciling findings of positive intervention effects on targeted outcomes but absent or negative findings related to social validity in a study. Our take-home message is that considering social validity assessments helps research consumers interpret study findings and informs how to apply findings in practice.

  PublisherDOI

• Effectiveness of Interventions for English Learners with Word Reading Difficulties: A Research Synthesis

  Learning Disabilities Research and Practice · 2022-08-01 · 13 citations

  article

  Abstract This study meta‐analyzed the last four decades (1980–2020) of reading intervention research focused on improving reading outcomes for English language (EL) students in Grades K–5 with or at risk for word reading difficulties. Experimental and quasi‐experimental group design and single‐case experimental design (SCED) studies were included; 10 group design and 7 SCED studies met inclusion criteria ( m = 61; total student N = 2,270). Visual inspection of the effect size distribution revealed that the assumption of between‐study heterogeneity was not supported; therefore, the findings were synthesized for SCED studies separately from those reported in group design studies. Implications for practice, policy, and future research are discussed.

  PublisherDOI

• Mixed–Methods Approaches in Special Education Research

  Learning Disabilities Research and Practice · 2022-11-01 · 24 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Mixed–methods research can uniquely inform special education practice by combining qualitative and quantitative research approaches. However, its distinct features can also make mixed–methods research difficult to understand and apply. In this article, we provide an introduction to mixed–methods research purposes, designs, and quality considerations to help practitioners critically consume and apply this type of research when working with students with learning disabilities and their families. We describe three sample research studies to illustrate mixed–methods designs and contributions. Our take–home message is that mixed–methods research (a) requires unique research practices to meaningfully combine qualitative and quantitative research approaches in a single study and (b) can be particularly useful for informing special education practice in real–world contexts.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Forty Years of Reading Intervention Research for Elementary Students with or at Risk for Dyslexia: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

  Reading Research Quarterly · 2022 · 128 citations

  • Psychology
  • Developmental psychology
  • Statistics

  ABSTRACT This meta‐analysis included experimental or quasi‐experimental intervention studies conducted between 1980 and 2020 that aimed to improve reading outcomes for Grade K‐5 students with or at risk for dyslexia (i.e., students with or at risk for word reading difficulties, defined as scoring at or below norm‐referenced screening or mean baseline performance thresholds articulated in our inclusion criteria). In all, 53 studies reported in 52 publications met inclusion criteria ( m = 351; total student N = 6,053). We employed robust variance estimation to address dependent effect sizes arising from multiple outcomes and comparisons within studies. Results indicated a statistically significant main effect of instruction on norm‐referenced reading outcomes ( g = 0.33; p < .001). Because there was significant heterogeneity in effect sizes across studies ( p < .01), we used meta‐regression to identify the degree to which student characteristics (i.e., grade level), intervention characteristics (i.e., dosage, instructional components, multisensory nature, instructional group size), reading outcome domain (i.e., phonological awareness, word reading/spelling, passage reading, or reading comprehension), or research methods (i.e., sample size, study design) influenced intervention effects. Dosage and reading outcome domain were the only variables that significantly moderated intervention effects ( p = .040 and p = .024, respectively), with higher dosage studies associated with larger effects ( b = 0.002) and reading comprehension outcomes associated with smaller effects than word reading/spelling outcomes ( b = −0.080).

  PublisherDOI

• Qualitative Methods in Special Education Research

  Learning Disabilities Research and Practice · 2021 · 58 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Sociology
  • Psychology

  Abstract Qualitative research methods are used within special education research to provide insights about how and why phenomena occur. They can, however, be misunderstood and applied inappropriately. Our aim in this article is to provide an overview of qualitative methods, including their purpose, contributions to research involving students with learning disabilities, limitations, and quality indicators for methodological rigor. Additionally, we highlight common qualitative methods and data sources. We review a recent study that exemplifies the use of qualitative methods in the field. Our take‐home message is that qualitative methods can provide valuable in‐depth information about how and why phenomena occur, but they are not intended to support causal relationships or large‐scale generalizability.

  PublisherDOI

• Treatment Fidelity: What It Is and Why It Matters

  Learning Disabilities Research and Practice · 2021 · 94 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Psychology
  • Psychotherapist

  Abstract Treatment fidelity refers to the extent to which an intervention is implemented as planned. If researchers do not assess and report treatment fidelity, or if treatment fidelity is shown to be low, findings from intervention studies are difficult to interpret, because the intervention may not have been implemented as planned. In this article, our aim is to inform research consumers by discussing treatment fidelity and its primary dimensions, providing guidelines for interpreting treatment fidelity, considering implications of treatment fidelity for research and practice, and illustrating how fidelity is reported in two recent studies. Our take‐home message is that when one is interpreting intervention studies, it is important to consider whether the interventions were applied as planned, or with fidelity.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Bryan G. Cook

  University of Virginia

  44 shared

• Sara Cothren Cook

  University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

  13 shared

• Lauren W. Collins

  San Diego State University

  12 shared

• Timothy J. Landrum

  University of Louisville

  11 shared

• Melody Tankersley

  University of Wisconsin–Stout

  7 shared

• Phillip D. Rumrill

  4 shared

• Daniel M. Maggin

  University of Illinois Chicago

  3 shared

• William J. Therrien

  University of North Texas

  2 shared