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…

Many studies show that school leadership is a key factor in supporting change within schools, but few have specifically considered the impact leadership has on gains in students' reading outcomes. This article focuses on factors that typify leadership in schools where such gains have been identified and explores the nature and quality of…

The audience for this guide is state, local, and program leaders who want to learn more about federal funding sources that can support early literacy programs and systems reform. Funding available through federal programs can help address the underlying causes of children failing to learn to read by the end of third grade, such as limited access…

"Policy Perspectives" presents visiting authors' own views and/or research on issues relevant to schools and communities nationwide. The idea that reading skill is largely a set of general-purpose maneuvers that can be applied to any and all texts is one of the main barriers to our children's overall low achievement in reading, argues…

A Los Angeles, California, project that infuses reading and language into the health curriculum allows teachers to give additional reading instruction without sacrificing time or curriculum content; it shows that communication skills can be infused successfully into the broader curriculum. (Author/DCS)

Developing a community of people interested in improving student reading achievement is an ongoing trend in education. Time and effort need to be put forth to become engaged in studying and promoting reading achievement. With high stakes state-mandated testing, it becomes even more important for teachers, school administrators, and the lay public…

This article on what principals should know about reading addresses the issue of how to prepare students to become competent lifelong readers. It lays the foundation for bringing about high gains in reading motivation and achievement, and presents five basic premises and sets of recommendations for each premise. The premises are: (1) children…

Description of, and guidelines for, a preventative early intervention program designed to provide a strong academic, social, and emotional foundation for postkindergarten students considered to be at risk for future academic difficulties. (Author/DCS)

Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), Incorporated, has distributed over 57 million books in its 18 years. RIF programs have raised children's interest in reading and their levels of reading achievement, and have increased library use and parent involvement. The national RIF organization offers several forms of support for local programs. (PGD)

An urban school district was able to improve its students' reading achievement substantially by implementing a variety of literary coaching models. The six literary coaching process strategies used by schools are discussed.

Schools are raising standards to improve academic and technical achievement and intellectual growth for all groups of students, particularly at-risk students. This newsletter contains tools and strategies that school leaders and teachers are using successfully to help students meet higher expectations. It organizes the techniques into five…

This evaluation of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) Chapter 1 programs in the 16 participating schools and camps of the California Youth Authority presents findings for the year 1983-84. The students enrolled in the program were severely academically disadvantaged teenagers (reading and mathematics abilities five or more…

This booklet contains information and resources to plan for reading and mathematics improvement goals for elementary, middle/junior high, and high schools in the Washington public schools according to the Academic Achievement and Accountability Commission and the results of the 2001 Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). This booklet…

In response to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), raising literacy levels in secondary schools has taken on a new urgency. Recognized literacy author, Elaine K. McEwan, focuses her revised second edition on enhancing the "five big ideas" for raising reading achievement with seven cognitive strategies of highly effective readers and…

Central in the discussion of school improvement is the belief, supported by research, that almost all students can learn to read and that much reading failure is preventable. For almost all students to become literate, even those who are challenging to teach, educators must apply their best understanding of effective professional development, such…