The New Approach Method (NAM) is an innovative reading program relying heavily on a phonics approach. The mode of presentation is a cassette tape recorder, which the child is taught to operate at the beginning of the program. The NAM lessons were administered to children at four NAM mini centers; a group of parents administered the NAM lessons to their own children at home; and NAM lessons were given to a group of four-year-olds at a day-care center. All of this took place in inner city Trenton, New Jersey. Data on the effectiveness of NAM were collected for each of the three conditions. For each condition, both cognitive and attitudinal data were gathered. In addition, the reactions of parents whose children participated in one of the conditions were obtained. In general, the results from condition to condition had many similarities. The cognitive areas in which the largest gains occurred were those emphasized in the NAM lessons. No attitude changes were discernable. Questionnaire responses indicated that parents were intimately involved in the NAM process and were satisfied with the results. Parents perceived the primary benefit to be in the area of beginning reading, although a number of other benefits were also mentioned. (RC)