Experts

Dr. Mellard has been a research associate within the Center for Research on Learning (CRL) since 1982, and currently is the director of CRL’s Division of Adult Studies and the principal investigator of research and evaluation studies. Dr. Mellard is one of the principal investigators at the National Research Center on Learning Disabilities. In that capacity he coordinated the largest national study of local school districts’ implementation of Response to Intervention (RTI) involving 41 school settings. The goal of this activity was to identify schools engaged in exemplary RTI practices.

Dr. Mellard has written and published materials examining the components of RTI and their implementation for numerous respected journals, including, the Journal of Learning Disabilities, and Learning Disabilities Quarterly, and Learning Disabilities Research and Practice as well as many agencies and organizations.

Dr. Mellard is currently participating in several projects that involve improving adult literacy through interventions provided in adult education, the U.S. Department of Labor's Job Corps program, General Educational Development (or GED) testing, as well as vocational rehabilitation and literacy programs.  In addition, Dr. Mellard has researched extensively the issues of accommodating participants with disabilities in post-secondary, employment, and social service agencies.

As a service to the state of Kansas, Dr. Mellard served as chair to the Kansas Task Force on Adult Literacy and Learning Disabilities and has recently completed his sixth year as a member the board of directors for the independent living center, Independence Inc.