In a series of reforms started in 1998 and formalized with the 2000 introduction of the Blueprint for Student Success, the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) implemented a wide-ranging series of reforms designed to boost the literacy skills of students. This article provides an overview of the reforms, assesses the contributions made by the…

Expresses opinions about administrative attitudes, teacher preparation, and teacher support concerning attempts at reading improvement programs in schools. Suggests professional development efforts lack planning and proper support. Suggests too few are accepting their responsibility while too many students are still not learning to read. (RS)

The primary purpose for reading is to derive the meaning of an author's message, which has been transmitted through print, as it relates to the reader's personal need to go from a point of lesser to greater information. Within the college reading improvement program, the many purposes surrounding reading should intersect to form the basis for…

Provides independent analysis of the extant evaluations of Reading Recovery. Finds that students make greater than expected gains in reading, effects comparable to those accomplished by other effective educational interventions; and that programs are less effective in maintaining student gains and more costly than has been claimed. Offers…

Responds to an article in the April 1998 issue of this journal. Shares evidence about the effectiveness of peer tutoring. Discusses literacy tutoring of K-3 emergent readers by volunteers. Explains why tutoring is not teaching, and offers a model for successful tutoring practices. (SR)

Replies to an article in the same issue of this journal, which responded to this author's earlier article. Elaborates two fundamental points of disagreement (the definition of tutoring and the characteristics of the children being tutored). (SR)

Describes steps that should be followed in building a reading program that meets students' needs and provides effective instruction in developmental, corrective, and remedial reading: (1) establishing desired skills, (2) undertaking a program of pupil evaluation, (3) initiating an appropriate teaching strategies curriculum, and (4) conducting…

This paper presents a review of the literature that identifies the salient issues, trends, questions, and programs which bear upon the growth, development, and future professionalism of college reading improvement programs (CRIPS). The paper reviews the four broad areas of: (1) administrative concerns (including organizational structure,…

Argues that national intervention endeavors should contain evaluation requirements that are sufficiently flexible to allow a range of rigorous evaluation designs. Uses the recent America Reads Challenge and research and evaluation efforts conducted independently at three university sites to illustrate the possibilities and pitfalls in engaging in…

Describes the reading styles of a group of first graders. Explains how mumbling reading gradually develops into silent reading. Provides an overview of the Project on Mumbling Reading and evaluates its effectiveness. Claims that more information is still needed for the development of silent reading and provides strategies to encourage the use of…

The inability of the schools to meet the educational needs of economically disadvantaged minority children has prompted efforts to identify alternatives to the traditional school curriculum. One such alternative emphasizes the use of the arts in developing basic academic skills. Research indicates that the arts can be used to develop perceptual…

The Language Experience Approach (LEA) is a particularly effective means of increasing the motivation and reading skills of students enrolled in adult basic education classes. A form of personalized rather than individualized instruction, the LEA is designed with the personal needs of a specific student or group of students in mind. The LEA is a…