Learning to read and write is critical to a child's success in school and adult life. One of the best predictors of whether children will function competently in school and, later, contribute to the increasingly literate society is their progress in reading and writing. For this reason, the 1985 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)…

A series of nine booklets was developed to help members of textbook adoption committees, teacher educators, inservice leaders, and policymakers gather information, develop evaluation guidelines, and organize their findings as they select new reading programs and evaluate existing ones. Each booklet focuses on a specific aspect of instruction.…

Considers the sociocultural factors that discourage the appropriate teaching of reading and writing. Discusses how the lay community would have to be involved in an improved language arts curriculum that individualized learning tasks, encouraged developmental interaction among individuals, and integrated learning across subjects, media, and types…

During Summer 1986, the Division of Special Education of the New York City Board of Education operated a Chapter 1 Summer Program, Reading and Math with Athletics, which served a total of 1,625 students at 13 sites for six weeks. Students received morning instruction: one period per day each in reading, mathematics, and in athletic and…

This article tells the story of young second-grade teacher and her quest to help students reach the New York state standards in reading. It is the yearlong story of significant professional growth highlighted by the conversations surrounding student learning. The collaborative conversations between the teacher, her colleague, and her staff…

Intended for administrators and policymakers as well as teachers, this digest explores the nature of students' metacomprehension, or their awareness of their own understanding, and the implications of this awareness for reading instruction. After defining metacomprehension, the digest discusses why this awareness is important to the learning…

This report presents the results of 18 months of work of the Maryland State Task Force on Reading, which investigated cutting edge research, best practices, and assessment data in order to formulate recommendations to guide programs in reading across the state. The report's center piece is a set of Design Principles for Improving Reading in…

Describes one school district's (Wareham, Massachusetts) experience with Reading Recovery, a first-grade program to help low achievers and at-risk readers. In contrast to reports from Reading Recovery staff, an outside evaluation found that the program did not meet expectations and did not produce lasting results. The district concluded that it…

PIRLS is the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study. This rigorous international survey compares the reading attainment and attitudes to reading of over 200,000 9- and 10-year-old children in 41 countries. It is the only international study to provide information on the reading habits of primary-aged children: the survey collects…

Recommendations concerning the reading, writing, and mathematics skills that are needed by students entering degree programs in Minnesota postsecondary institutions are offered by a Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Board task force. In addition to describing reading skills that students need for most college degree programs, conditions…

The National Early Literacy Panel (NELP) was appointed in 2002 and carried out its work under the auspices of the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL). NELP's primary goal was to identify interventions, parenting activities, and instructional practices that promote the development of children's early literacy skills. The National Institute…

This booklet presents the results of an exploratory study of educational indicators that differentiate more effective from less effective primary schools. The studies examined in the booklet encompassed 26 national systems of education. The booklet considers the community context of the school; school management; school size, type, and staffing…

Intended for parents, as well as school administrators, policymakers, and teachers, this digest discusses resources available for developing children's early literacy. The digest first discusses research indicating the role of parents in early reading experience, then discusses, in general terms, sources for literacy materials for parents,…

Defends the author's "Low-Income Hispanic Parents' Contributions to Their First-Grade Children's Word Recognition Skills" (1987) against criticisms advanced by Sledge, Blot, and Delisle (1988). (Author/BJV)

This book is for teachers, teacher educators, school and district administrators, policy makers, and researchers who want to know about literacy, cultural diversity, and students who speak little or no English. It offers a rich picture of the incredible diversity of students who enter secondary school as immigrants--their abilities, their needs,…