Dr. Don Deshler
Advisory Council Member
The Yutzy School is honored to have Dr. Deshler’s extraordinary wisdom, humility, and heart on its Advisory Committee. His lifelong mission—to ignite the light of learning in every child—resonates deeply with our own.
Dr. Donald D. Deshler is one of the most respected voices in the field of special education and adolescent learning. He serves as the Williamson Family Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Special Education at the University of Kansas, where he previously directed the renowned Center for Research on Learning (CRL). While director, the CRL completed in excess of 250 million dollars of R & D. This work has helped shape national policy and classroom practice to support students with diverse learning needs.
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A trailblazer in research-to-practice innovation, Dr. Deshler co-developed the Learning Strategies Model and the Content Enhancement Routines—both now widely used by educators nationwide to help struggling learners become confident, independent thinkers. His early research revealed that most secondary students with learning difficulties were years behind in reading, prompting him to design powerful tools that would enable all students to access rigorous content. His influence is visible in countless classrooms where students are now learning how to learn.
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Dr. Deshler has served as an advisor to the U.S. State Department, the National Governors Association, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Aspen Institute. He was a founding editor of Learning Disability Quarterly and has held leadership roles with the National Institute for Literacy and the National Center for Learning Disabilities. Recognized as one of the ten most influential people in special education in the 20th century by the Council for Exceptional Children, he has received numerous honors including the AERA Special Education Distinguished Researcher Award, the Higuchi Research Achievement Award, and the Educator of the Year Award from the Learning Disabilities Association of America.
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He earned his B.A. in Economics from Whitman College and both his M.Ed. and Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of Arizona. Early in his career, he taught in a remote Alaskan village, an experience that deepened his commitment to ensuring that no child’s future is foreclosed by poor instruction or lack of opportunity.
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A man of deep faith and service, Deshler is actively involved in his church and has served in numerous leadership roles. He and his wife are currently serving a 23-month mission assignment in Ghana, offering education and leadership support to local communities. ​