Arabic is the second most common home language of English learners in the United States. Educators seek to design culturally sustaining pedagogy to develop Arabic-speaking English learners' English skills while nourishing their heritage language and affirming their culture's values. The authors report on a series of interviews with three Arabic…

Enjoyment of reading books is related to reading proficiency, and fostering students' enjoyment of reading is imperative to support continued reading engagement. However, not all students understand that reading is important, and not all students are regularly engaged in recreational reading. Children typically read for pleasure less often as they…

Worldreader, the nonprofit organization with a mission to create a world where everyone is a reader, is proving that mobile phones can be used as tools for engaging parents in reading to their young children. Knowing the cognitive and developmental benefits of reading to children from an early age, Worldreader set out to leverage the ubiquity of…

This article describes the experiences of some of the many families of the deaf and hard of hearing children who come to Shared Reading Saturdays at Northern Essex Community College (NECC) in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The program, which includes monthly gatherings and is coordinated by the NECC's Gallaudet University Regional Center, features deaf…

In this article, a reading specialist tells her own story of making parental involvement work with kindergarten children in her school. Using a research-based instructional routine that involves parents and children in repeatedly reading a rhythmical text followed by a brief activity involving letter learning, phonemic awareness, and phonics, this…

Innovative programs for migrant students prove the payoff of making parents partners in classroom learning. This article features "Abriendo Puertas," or Opening Doors, an innovative program developed by Texas A&M University specifically for migrant education. The program emphasizes on literacy, academic success, and--most…

The goal of the family literacy workshop "Reading Theatre, Parents as Actors: Movie production in a Family Literacy Workshop" is to empower and motivate parents to learn various storytelling strategies through theatrical production experiences and apply them at home. This is a theory-based family literacy practice supported by McClelland's…

The early years are a time of joy and a period of great learning for young children. They are beginning to interact with print and experience the delights of being read to. This article presents the experiences of a kindergarten teacher during her class' independent reading time. Aside from just plain fun, children can acquire a wide range of…

Describes the International Reading Project, a series of six weekly one-hour sessions that focus on teaching parents with limited reading skills how to read aloud to their children. Notes that (1) choral reading is a major part of the program; and (2) the low-income families and their children who participated in the program were all African…

In the past, parents would wait outside of the room while storytime was in progress. The librarian would be the only adult in the room most times. Now grown-ups regularly attend storytime and seem to enjoy it as much as their little ones. And librarians realize that their adult audience is just as important as their young one. Recognizing the…

Nine primary-age children at a residential school for the deaf were read bedtime stories using a Total Communication approach. Every child subsequently demonstrated growth on each of several language assessments, including language comprehension and expressive language. (JDD)

Describes a program developed by the San Francisco Public Library to help parents introduce their infants and toddlers to appropriate literature. The benefits for children, parents and librarians are discussed, and suggestions are offered to librarians wishing to start a program. A bibliography of source materials is provided. (5 references) (CLB)

Describes an "educational evening out," an idea materialized when parents expressed interest in reading during their first-quarter conferences with teachers. Notes that the parents showed so much interest in learning how to read with their children at home that the teachers made plans to have a literacy night in their first-grade classroom. (SG)

Introducing Preschool Children to Reading through Parent Involvement is a project funded by a New York State Education Department mini-grant. The major activity of the project is to inform parents of preschool children of the research findings and theories concerning reading to young children. Three newsletters are mailed each year to families…

Describes an early intervention literacy program which brings books, children, and parents together in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. States that it provides low-income parents with the information, skills, and encouragement needed to promote the literacy development of their children. (PA)