This paper describes the structure and activities of READ (Reading Effectively Across the Disciplines), a pilot initiative to improve students' critical reading skills, disciplinary literacy and academic success. READ employs a multimodal design that consists of faculty training in disciplinary literacy instruction and curricular enhancement,…

When David Coleman, one of the authors of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), spoke to New York educators, he stated that over the last forty years 8th grade reading scores have been flat. Despite doubling expenditures on classroom instruction, there has been little growth. Most educators are aware that what worked for the students of the…

Students not reading proficiently by the end of 3rd grade are four times more likely than proficient readers to drop out of high school. This fact and other recent research on the importance of early literacy skills have culminated in an intense focus on improving 3rd-grade reading proficiency. The challenges of improving literacy are, in turn,…

Describes a program called GERIS--Graphic Expression Reading Improvement System--in which disadvantaged students ranging from third graders to high school seniors develop skills such as research, reading, organization, planning, teamwork, writing, and speaking by participating in television production. (CT)

This report is an evaluation of a New York City School District educational project funded under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. The program was designed to serve 1,640 children attending special day schools, psychiatric hospitals, and day and residential treatment centers for the socially maladjusted and emotionally…

This project funded under Elementary Secondary Education Act Title I, was designed to improve the mathematics skills of 328 males and females serving prison sentences or awaiting trial in the Rikers Island Penitentiary. For the male population exclusively, the project was designed to improve reading skills and English usage and comprehension. The…

The New York City Board of Education's Title I program, "Learning to Read through the Arts," teaches skills in reading through involvement in the arts, builds self-confidence, improves self-image, and adds to the experiences of the participating children. If children are able to read material and apply the information thus acquired to…

Kansas, Montana, and New York are the states currently under orders from their highest courts to fix their school finance systems. In Kansas, House and Senate leaders have agreed to a plan that would increase per-pupil funding for at-risk, bilingual, and special education students. It would also create a $20 million program to help districts…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) States Showing Some Reading Improvements: Early Grades Raise Scores, but Older Students Continue to Struggle; (2)…