A study examined children's reading difficulties at the early grade levels and explored how federal and state governments are responding to this critical education problem. Sections of the study address: background issues in reading achievement; federal response to improve poor reading achievement; state issues in early reading achievement;…

The author analyzes four informal reading inventories (IRIs) designed for adult students. Evaluative data presented for each IRI include the following: information on word lists and passages and on comprehension questions, estimates of difficulty based on the Fry index of readability, and a summary of scoring and evaluation guidelines. (SK)

Examines three children's early experiences of school literacy lessons to consider what makes a difference in their relative success and failure during the first months of school. Argues that how, whether, and to what extent children take up what teachers make available to them is inextricably connected with the repertoires of practices and…

The extended day kindergarten (EDK) program in Detroit's 87 Chapter 1 schools in the 1984-85 school year was designed to serve children "least ready" for kindergarten, by providing a full day program 4 days per week. The fifth day of each week was reserved for inservicing teachers, school service assistants, and parents. Parents were…

Information about the utilization of Chapter 1 funds in South Carolina is presented for the years 1982-86. Tables and descriptions illustrate the impact of Chapter 1 programs and identify those projects exhibiting the greatest gains in terms of student achievement. Projects covered readiness, reading, and mathematics. The following types of data…

Fifty-five preschool children, ages three and four, used an Apple II microcomputer to learn reading readiness concepts of "above,""below,""left," and "right." Available during indoor play periods for three weeks at a nursery school on the Stanford University campus, the microcomputer was accepted…

Although implementing the school readiness goal is clearly a shared responsibility of parents, schools, and community, activities beyond the schoolhouse must be matched by internal school efforts, including accessing knowledge and attitudes; evaluating existing strategies in training, screening, testing, service linkages, and classroom practices;…

Researchers find that two factors hinder children's literacy development: parents and other adults who limit children's experiences and their use of language; and the Federal government's goal that children must come to school "ready to learn." Schools might interpret this push for readiness as a license to teach all children the same…

This paper surveys methods for teaching reading and writing in kindergarten. The paper stresses the importance of accepting a child's own efforts, including invented spelling, and providing an atmosphere that encourages experimentation. Chapter 1 introduces the topic; chapter 2 provides a historical overview. The current state of the art is…

The content of four phonological awareness training programs was analyzed according to six principles of effective instructional design related to teaching students at risk for reading failure. Analysis revealed that no program effectively included all six principles, implying that teachers need to adapt programs to improve their effectiveness.…

The authors of this article report on a preliminary study of 18, 4- and 5-year-old children, followed by a longitudinal study of 44 children, who were tested in the first, second, and third grades. The children's ability to detect the ambiguity of lexically ambiguous sentences (e. g., "The children saw the bat lying by the fence") and…

PIRLS is the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study. This rigorous international survey compares the reading attainment and attitudes to reading of over 200,000 9- and 10-year-old children in 41 countries. It is the only international study to provide information on the reading habits of primary-aged children: the survey collects…

That the emergent literacy perspective is gaining influence in the United States as a way of studying children's literacy acquisition. This report interprets emergent literacy research in light of the Vygotskian theory of learning and development. First, the report compares the emergent literacy perspective to the more traditional reading…

During the 1985-1986 school year the Instructional Aide Program served 2,370 pupils in kindergarten and first grade in the Columbus Public Schools. The program provided educational support for underachieving pupils by training and placing 124 aides in the classrooms of 227 teachers. The aides provided direct instruction to pupils under the…

This booklet presents a summary of South Carolina's utilization of Title I funds during the years 1976-1980 and identifies those specific projects exhibiting the greatest gains in terms of student achievement during fiscal year 1980. A series of tables show the impact of Title I in the areas of: (1) state allocation of funds; (2) number of…