This paper discusses the concept of literacy and proposes several theses with regard to the difficulty experienced by youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds in acquiring literacy in present-day school environments. It recommends studies to explore the funding of programs designed to improve schools as educational organizations, rather than…

Noting that parents have considerable influence on their children's learning during the process of general socialization, this paper reviews literature from primary and post primary schools about involving parents with their children's reading development. Following an introduction which summarizes the pertinent literature, the first section…

In analyzing the issue of the extent to which speaking a nonstandard dialect of English affects a child's ability to learn to read, this paper reviews linguistic and reading research from the 1960s to the present and notes how that research has changed and developed. Based on this research, the paper argues that (1) there is no direct causal…

To draw the attention of teachers to the many kinds of bias that can be found in print, the 10 chapters of this monograph review a number of studies of ways in which biased texts may affect children's attainments as well as their attitudes. The chapters that comprise Parts One and Two center on the more specific issues that relate to the influence…

The literature on research and development of programs relevant to the area of compensatory education is reviewed and summarized in this report, which was designed to provide information for the state of Florida in planning compensatory programs. The review is divided into four sections concerning administration and organization, home/school…

Examines questions typically asked about the effectiveness of computer-based reading instruction, suggesting that these questions must be refined to provide meaningful insight into the issues involved. Describes several critical problems with existing research and presents overviews of research on the effects of computer-based instruction on…

Previous studies, while not suggesting that all preschool programs will bring lasting benefits, demonstrate that early education can change the course of children's lives, especially children from disadvantaged backgrounds. This study dealt with early childhood education and school success, evaluating the effect of preschool attendance on reading…

Reasons why African American and Hispanic American students tend to have lower scores than do White students on standardized mathematics and reading tests are examined, focusing on a study from Texas. Results of the Texas Examination of Current Administrators and Teachers (TECAT) for approximately 900 school districts show that where the…

Previous research has examined whether manipulation of one environmental element, such as sound, significantly affected group norms for achievement. This investigation examined the relation of preferred and actual acoustic environment on reading performance. Subjects were 32 male and 32 female sixth-graders from a suburban school in New York State…

The focus of this paper is on the methodology used in analyzing studies on the effects of school desegregation on black achievement. The paper also addresses a number of substantive issues, including the overall effectiveness of school desegregation, the impact of type of achievement (math or reading), and time of desegregation (early or later…

In view of the inadequate beginning reading achievement of many minority students, specific pedagogical factors that may enhance the classroom teacher's ability to help such children learn to read have been identified. Educational research suggests that the teacher is a major variable in the degree of success of the reading program. Teacher…

Based on data obtained from a random sample of United States schools in 1970, this monograph reports achievements in reading speed, comprehension, and word knowledge and in literary understanding, interpretation, and interest of American students aged 9, 14, and 17. The monograph also contains demographic information on teachers, permitting a…

Focusing on eliminating the disparity of literacy between low income, ethnically or culturally diverse populations and their more advantaged counterparts, this paper describes policies and procedures on how to ensure that all children in Washington State schools attain the highest levels of literacy possible. After some background information, the…

The focus of this two-part paper is the formulation of a research paradigm and agenda to guide investigations into the relationships between human resource management and basic skills achievement in reading and mathematics. The first part concerns the relationship between student achievement and attributes of school and classroom contexts.…

The nearly 40 research studies carried out in New Zealand during the last decade have resulted in some very important ideas. In the area of children and texts, research focused on how children learn from texts, and the resulting data suggest that children can and do teach themselves to read, learning from their mistakes. The complexity of the…