This report describes a program for improving reading comprehension. The targeted population consists of first, second, third, and fourth grade classrooms in a middle class community located in a suburb of a large midwestern city. The problem regarding poor comprehension skills is evident from teacher observation, student performance, previous…

This paper presents a Reading/Language curriculum for grades K-4 (but adaptable to middle and high school students) which is anti-bias and literature-based. It is intended to help educators use high-quality multicultural children's literature as a medium for reading instruction, and to show all students why discrimination is harmful, and how bias…

Materials in the Initial Teaching Alphabet (ITA) were developed for use in remedial reading instruction of functionally illiterate adults. These materials were used for an experimental tutorial session totalling 20 hours of instruction and two hours of testing and interviewing. The tutorial sessions provided a case study for use in formative…

A total of 94 ninth and tenth grade students participated in a study to determine which of the following six reading expectancy formulas predict actual reading achievement of secondary school students of average intelligence: the Dechant formula, the Harris I formula, the Science Research Associates'"Tests of General Ability," the Harris II…

To determine the relationship of the expressed reading interests of fourth grade students to their free selection library book choices, 12 boys and 9 girls were administered an interest category inventory and recorded their free selection choices on a special record sheet. Analysis of the data revealed a moderately positive correlation between…

This study investigated the relative effectiveness of books on reading achievement scores when earned by under-achieving readers in a student tutoring program. Fifty-three fifth grade students who were in below grade level classroom reading groups and who scored from six months to three years below grade level on at least one of two reading…

The effects of two methods of teaching a reading vocabulary on writing vocabulary in student compositions were investigated: the teaching of a specific reading vocabulary with students' practice of words in sentences and the teaching of a specific reading vocabulary with students' practice of words in multiple-choice exercises. The retention of…

This study was designed to assess the intercorrelations of selected variables of reading readiness to determine which measures were related. It was hypothesized that there are no underlying language factors which can be identified within a selected group of assessments, and that neither the original variables nor any factors, if found, predict the…

This study gathered information from reading specialists about the nature of their role. From more than 500 questionnaires sent to specialists in 59 school systems in New England, 441 usable questionnaires were returned. The questionnaire was divided into six groups of items: background and general information, responsibilities, communication with…

Elementary school principals in two cooperative educational service agencies in Wisconsin were asked to respond to 39 items concerning supervisory involvement of principals in the reading program. Four supervisory strategies were analyzed: directing and controlling, stimulating and initiating, analyzing and appraising, and designing and…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of having trained paraprofessionals work with classroom teachers to improve the reading achievement of socioeconomically disadvantaged first grade children. The multiple teaching approach used in this study both organized the learning experience for children so that maximum instructional use…

The purpose of this study was to determine what procedures were employed by the school districts in New Jersey to identify, diagnose, and service remedial readers. A random sample of 20 percent of the elementary schools in the state were sent a questionnaire to determine their reading practices for the academic year 1972-73. Responses to the…

The relationship between within-class reading grouping and self-concept was investigated in a sample of 257 third-grade children in 12 classes that employed within-class grouping. Pupils were tested at the beginning and end of the school year, using the Piers-Harris Test, a semantic differential, and an inventory containing four items about…

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effect of a reading management system, Accelerated Reader, on the norm referenced scores of selected second- through sixth-grade at-risk and not at-risk students over a three-year period of time. This was to determine if there was any significant change in the scores between students who…

A child's ability to read is at the very foundation of his or her learning in school and plays a significant role in scholastic success. Although no one literacy model can ever represent the range of diverse learners in our schools, Cunningham, Hall, and Defee's literacy model known as Four-Block attempts to meet the needs of as many learners as…