The problem addressed in this study is that the low reading proficiency levels of marginalized elementary students significantly affect their future academic achievement and life outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to investigate the differences in the reading proficiency levels of marginalized Grade 3-5 students in a…

This guide for district and school leaders shows how to recognize opportunities to embed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) into planned policies or programs. Opportunistic RCTs can generate strong evidence for informing education decisions--with minimal added cost and disruption. The guide also outlines the key steps to conduct RCTs and responds…

Reading Improvement Through Art (RITA) program is an interdisciplinary approach to literacy that blends visual art with reading comprehension, evaluated in nine New York City urban high schools. 240 problem readers participating in the pilot program were pre- and post-tested in the Fall 1975 and Spring 1976 semesters. The testing showed the 9th…

When the goal is supporting excellent teaching, there is no "one-size-fits-all" approach. This book helps literacy coaches and administrators navigate the many choices involved in developing and fine-tuning a coaching program that offers the best fit for a particular school. The authors draw on current research and their personal experiences in…

Intensive analysis of the policies and practices of two high-achieving schools confirms that a coordinated school-wide emphasis on reading pays off. Four references are provided. (Author/DCS)

We will never teach all our students to read if we do not teach our most at-risk students to read. Another way to say this is: "Getting to 100% requires going through the bottom 20%." Teaching all students to read requires a school level system for early identification of at-risk students and a school level system for providing those students with…

Many Washington students, who should be at a reading to learn level in grades 4-12, are still learning to read. The purpose of this review it to offer information to schools and districts in Washington State regarding intervention programs that are most promising for closing the achievement gap in reading. The 4-12 grades are an area that need…

Based on the belief that learning to read is an ongoing process that continues into the upper grades, this guidebook is intended as a "starter kit" to help teachers, literacy specialists, and administrators design strong literacy programs that span the secondary grades. The guidebook maintains that as learners encounter unfamiliar and complex…

A program designed by the Palatine (Illinois) Public Library to help children reading below grade level included weekly storytimes in the classrooms, parent/child programs in the library, and cable television programs on storytelling and illiteracy. Increased attention spans, higher levels of cooperation, and more positive attitudes toward reading…

Designed for use by elementary school principals, this guide contains suggestions for (1) assessing the effectiveness of the school reading program, (2) determining the instructional needs of teachers and the reading skill needs of students, and (3) implementing specific strategies to effectively accomplish desired reading program improvements.…

Learning to Read Through the Arts (LTRTA), a Title I program, offers intensive reading instruction to New York City elementary school students, through the integration of a total arts program with a total reading program. This report presents a brief program description and results of an evaluation of student achievement and teacher participation…

Intended to help teachers assess the effectiveness of their reading program, this paper suggests how teachers can emphasize comprehension in reading, what behaviors students demonstrate related to getting and creating meaning when reading, and how the classroom environment can promote reading for meaning. After describing effective teacher and…

Anyone who has worked as a teacher or principal in an elementary school understands the value of reliable and valid assessments of early reading progress. In order to implement an effective reading program, schools should have a coordinated plan for using screening, progress monitoring, diagnostics and outcome measures to guide instruction and to…

The Content Area Learning/Reading Project at the Cosgrove Junior High School in Spencerport, New York, was initiated in the fall of 1979. The goals of the project were to foster effective instruction in all classrooms and to promote instruction based on sound principles and practices as indicated by research and by review of successful content…

This volume is a catalogue of exemplary educational programs and includes current descriptions of most programs described in previous editions as well as new programs approved for national dissemination since publication of the last edition in 1994. In particular the volume describes programs approved by the Joint Dissemination Review Panel and…