Teachers know that establishing a robust independent reading program takes more than giving kids a little quiet time after lunch. But how do they set up a program that will maximize their students' gains? Teachers have to know their students' reading levels inside and out, help them find just-right books, and continue to guide them during…

Experts from the White House to the Ivory Tower agree--and real teachers of real children concur--that reading is the most important skill young students must acquire. Whether they learn through whole language or phonics, children must leave the elementary grades competent in the art of decoding written text in their native language. Even…

Discusses four oral reading methods (Neurological Impress Method, Echo Reading, Repeated Readings, and Assisted Reading) in terms of their potential for building fluency. (Author/DB)

Responds to an article ("On Balanced Reading") in the December 1998/January 1999 issue of this journal. Argues for a closer look and more evidence before committing to "balanced" models of literacy education. Discusses criticisms of Reading Recovery programs. (SR)

Points out some recurring ideas about the use of children's literature in the elementary reading program based on a review of 25 years of "The Reading Teacher." (FL)

Offers a brief history of college level reading programs from the 1920s to the present. Concludes that, despite past trials and errors, most established college reading programs appear to be in firm ground. (PRA)

Replies to an article in this issue that responded to an earlier article ("On Balanced Reading") by this author. Argues that Welna's unbalanced coverage of research and critique is the very fuel that continues the Reading Wars. Argues that a study of past and present research can lead the profession to common ground. (SR)

Claims the United States must upgrade the literacy skills of its young people if it is to keep pace with changing job demands and global economic competition. Suggests that developing effective school reading programs is at the heart of any comprehensive plan for improving the adult literacy of American citizens. (NH)

Shows several different approaches used by a middle school to improve reading. Discusses importance of instructional leadership to assist all students to become good readers. (RS)

Noting that Indiana is poised to take active steps toward becoming a community of readers for its young adolescent citizens, this pamphlet discusses the foundations laid by the Middle Grades Reading Improvement program and plans for the Middle Grade Reading Network. The pamphlet discusses: how Indiana's schools have "failed" young…

This paper uses the conceptual framework of cybernetics to understand why learning information systems such as the "Accelerated Reader" work so successfully, and to examine how this simple yet incisive concept can be used to accelerate learning at every level and in all disciplines. The first section, "Basic Concepts,"…

Argues how important it is that reading support continue in middle schools. Describes briefly the Young Hoosier Book Award Program for Indiana middle schools. Outlines conditions in schools that seem to affect participation in such programs. (SR)

Presents two opinions on motivating students through reading incentive programs. The first suggests that such programs benefit students by building self-esteem, with students earning while they learn. The second states that rewards may lower comprehension and dull long-term interest in reading, with children focusing on rewards rather than…

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…

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…