B. Keith Ben-Hanania Lenz, Ph.D.

Keith Lenz
  • Retired Associate Professor and Senior Scientist

Contact Info

Primary Office:
501-358-8715
Austin, AR

Biography —

B. Keith Ben-Hanania Lenz, Ph.D., is an Affiliate Researcher with the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning (KUCRL), where his work is connected to the Strategic Instruction Model (SIM), adolescent literacy, inclusive instructional planning, and professional learning systems for schools. Across his career, Dr. Lenz has worked at the intersection of special education, secondary school improvement, literacy-centered reform, and teacher professional development, with a sustained focus on helping adolescents with learning disabilities and other students at risk for academic failure succeed in general education settings.

Dr. Lenz’s scholarship and development work have emphasized practical, research-based tools that teachers and instructional leaders can use to make complex academic content more accessible. He has contributed to the development and dissemination of SIM Learning Strategies and Content Enhancement Routines, including instructional planning routines and teaching devices designed to support strategic, explicit instruction in middle and secondary classrooms. His work has helped teachers address academic diversity by clarifying critical content, organizing instruction around big ideas and questions, and helping students learn strategies for reading, writing, studying, and participating successfully in rigorous courses.

In professional development and consulting roles, Dr. Lenz has collaborated with schools, districts, universities, and professional learning networks to support literacy improvement, special education services, inclusive instruction, and schoolwide implementation of evidence-based practices. His current work includes the SMARTER360 Cycle of Instruction, a framework designed to help educators use assessment information, instructional routines, classroom collaboration, the implementation of Open Education Resources (OERs), and AI-supported planning to improve learning outcomes for all students, including students with disabilities.

As an Affiliate Researcher, Dr. Lenz’s work supports KUCRL’s long-standing mission of improving outcomes for adolescents and young adults through research, professional learning, and scalable instructional practices. His ongoing interests include adolescent and content literacy, learning disabilities, strategic and explicit instruction, instructional coaching, implementation science, teacher collaboration, AI-supported instructional planning, and the design of tools that help educators translate research into daily classroom practice.

Education —

Ph.D. in Special Education, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS

Research —

B. Keith Ben-Hanania Lenz, Ph.D., is an Affiliate Researcher with the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning. His work focuses on adolescent literacy, learning disabilities, strategic and explicit instruction, inclusive secondary school improvement, and professional learning systems. Dr. Lenz has contributed to the development and dissemination of the Strategic Instruction Model (SIM), including learning strategies, Content Enhancement Routines, and instructional planning tools designed to help teachers make complex academic content accessible to diverse learners. His current work includes SMARTER360, an instructional cycle framework that supports collaborative, data-informed, and AI-assisted planning for improved student outcomes.

Teaching —

  • Graduate preparation and professional specialization in learning disabilities, adolescent literacy, instructional design, and school improvement
  • Additional academic and professional experience in teacher education, special education leadership, continuous school improvement, and professional development for inclusive secondary instruction

Research Interests

  • Adolescent literacy and content-area literacy
  • Learning disabilities and access to the general education curriculum
  • Strategic, explicit instruction and learning strategy instruction
  • Strategic Instruction Model (SIM) implementation and professional development
  • Content Enhancement Routines and instructional planning devices
  • Inclusive middle and secondary school improvement
  • Teacher collaboration, instructional coaching, and professional learning systems
  • AI-supported instructional planning and implementation tools, including SMARTER360

Selected Publications —

  • Lenz, B. K., Bulgren, J. A., & Washburn, J. (forthcoming Fall 2026). The SMARTER360 Instructional Cycle Implementation Manual. Lawrence, KS: KU ScholarWorks, University of Kansas.
  • Deshler, D. D., Ellis, E. S., & Lenz, B. K. (1996). Teaching adolescents with learning disabilities: Strategies and methods (2nd ed.). Denver, CO: Love Publishing.
  • Lenz, B. K., & Deshler, D. D. (Eds.). (2003). Teaching content to all: Evidence-based inclusive practices in middle and secondary schools. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
  • Lenz, B. K. (2006). Creating school-wide conditions for high-quality learning strategy classroom instruction. Intervention in School and Clinic, 41(5), 261-266.
  • Lenz, B. K., Ehren, B. J., & Deshler, D. D. (2005). The content literacy continuum: A school reform framework for improving adolescent literacy for all students. Teaching Exceptional Children, 37(6), 60-63.
  • Lenz, B. K., & Hughes, C. A. (1990). A word identification strategy for adolescents with learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 23(3), 149-158.
  • Lenz, B. K., Deshler, D. D., & Kissam, B. R. (2004). SMARTER planning for academic diversity. In B. K. Lenz & D. D. Deshler (Eds.), Teaching content to all: Evidence-based inclusive practices in middle and secondary schools. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
  • Ben-Hanania Lenz, B. K. (2023). Good study strategies. In B. L. Holt (Ed.), Quality instruction and intervention: Strategies for secondary educators. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
  • Ehren, B. J., Lenz, B. K., & Deshler, D. D. (2016). Adolescents who struggle and 21st century literacy. In A. C. Stone, E. R. Silliman, B. J. Ehren, & G. P. Wallach (Eds.), Handbook of language and literacy: Development and disorders (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
  • Lenz, B. K., & Bulgren, J. A. (2012). Improving academic outcomes in content areas. In B. G. Cook & M. Tankersley (Eds.), Research-based practices in special education (pp. 98-115). New York, NY: Pearson.
  • Lenz, B. K., Adams, G. L., Bulgren, J. A., Pouliot, N., & Laraux, M. (2008). Effects of curriculum maps and guiding questions on the test performance of adolescents with learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities Quarterly, 31(4), 235-244.
  • Ben-Hanania Lenz, B. K., & McCord, T. (2021). How can we improve teacher decision-making in the use of open education resources? White paper for ZUNI Learning Tree, LLC. Conway, AR.
  • Shaver, D., Wagner, M., & Lenz, B. K. (2013). Planning for replication and dissemination from the start: Guidelines for model demonstration projects. Research report for the Model Demonstration Coordination Center. Menlo Park, CA: SRI International.

Strategic Instruction Model (SIM) Instructional Materials

  • Lenz, B. K., Schumaker, J. B., Deshler, D. D., & Beals, V. (1984). The learning strategies curriculum: The word identification strategy (1st ed.). Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning.
  • Lenz, B. K., Marrs, R., Schumaker, J. B., & Deshler, D. D. (1993). The lesson organizer routine. Lawrence, KS: Edge Enterprises.
  • Lenz, B. K., with Bulgren, J. A., Schumaker, J. B., Deshler, D. D., & Boudah, D. J. (1994). The Unit Organizer Routine (2nd ed.). Lawrence, KS: Edge Enterprises.
  • Bulgren, J. A., Lenz, B. K., Schumaker, J. B., & Deshler, D. D. (1995). The concept comparison routine. Lawrence, KS: Edge Publications, Inc.
  • Lenz, B. K., with Schumaker, J. B., Deshler, D. D., & Bulgren, J. A. (1998). The course organizer routine. Lawrence, KS: Edge Enterprises.
  • Rademacher, J., Schumaker, J., Deshler, D., & Lenz, B. K. (1998). The quality assignment routine. Lawrence, KS: Edge Enterprises.
  • Schumaker, J., Bulgren, J., Deshler, D., & Lenz, B. K. (1998). The recall enhancement routine. Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning.
  • Bulgren, J. A., Lenz, B. K., Deshler, D. D., & Schumaker, J. B. (2001). The question exploration routine. Lawrence, KS: Edge Publications, Inc.

Grants & Other Funded Activity —

Selected Professional Contributions
  • Co-developer and contributor to SIM Learning Strategies and Content Enhancement Routines used in middle and secondary schools.
  • Designer and facilitator of professional development focused on adolescent literacy, inclusive instruction, strategic learning, and implementation of evidence-based practices.
  • Contributor to the development of SMARTER and SMARTER360 instructional planning frameworks for organizing assessment, instruction, collaboration, and ongoing improvement.
  • Consultant and advisor to schools, districts, universities, and educational organizations on special education, adolescent literacy, and school improvement.
  • Author, co-author, and editor of books, manuals, instructional routines, and professional learning materials used by educators and professional developers.