If we want to move children from struggling to read to being proficient readers, we must address the disparate ways that teachers respond to readers with varying abilities. Restorative practices, akin to restorative justice, build relationships, make connections, and foster a reader's sense of ownership and empowerment. What would happen if…

The Common Core raises the stature of texts to new heights, creating a hubbub. The fuss is especially messy at the early grades, where children are expected to read more complex texts than in the past. But early-grades teachers have been given little actionable guidance about text complexity. The authors recently examined early-grades texts to…

The Common Core State Standards have cast a renewed light on reading instruction, presenting teachers with the new requirements to teach close reading of complex texts. Teachers and administrators should consider a number of essential features of close reading: They are short, complex texts; rich discussions based on worthy questions; revisiting…

The digital world is expanding the reading palette, offering readers--especially readers who struggle with printed text--new possibilities for to engage in reading via e-text and e-books. This expanded view of text is consistent with the Common Core's vision of a successful 21st century learner who is able to critically read and communicate…

Ten years ago, six teachers established a program of literacy intervention and professional learning in remote northwestern Australia based on the Reading Recovery principles. This group of teachers was determined to learn what had to happen in order for them to make a difference with students and then to make it happen. Their work led to getting…

Reading scholar Maryanne Wolf believes that every child needs an array of digital skills in their learning repertoire. Her research focuses on how best to introduce technology in terms of reading acquisition so children can develop deep reading skills over time. Educators must focus on a carefully considered trajectory in order to develop a truly…

Recently, support has grown for using comic books and graphic novels to enhance and support literacy instruction. In some ways, it's surprising that the medium has only recently enjoyed such support. Stereotyped views of comics as unsophisticated, disposable entertainment or material written to the lowest common denominator fail to consider the…

One of the rumors making the rounds of K-12 educators goes something like this: The Common Core State Standards do not allow "prereading"--the pedagogical practice meant to help students better understand a text they are about to read--or for that matter any classroom activities that contextualize a text through outside sources. The interesting…

To close the gap between reading research and the reality of instruction, the authors developed a reading comprehension approach for elementary school, aiming at explicit instruction and practice of reading comprehension strategies. Their approach encompasses two complementary cornerstones: explicit instruction in reading strategies and creating…

The Response to Intervention initiative is in danger of failing and being thrown on the ash heaps of countless education reform initiatives, but not because it is poorly structured, rather on account of poor implementation. Among the implementation mistakes are seven that can be watched for and avoided. (Contains 3 tables.)

Some students with Asperger syndrome comprehend text effortlessly, but many others struggle to make meaning of what they read. The unique characteristics of students with Asperger mean teachers must think strategically about how to ensure that they become proficient readers. The author offers seven strategies that teachers can employ to improve…

The reading instruction of beginning teachers needs to be assessed according to the teacher's use of practices that work. Therefore, a rubric that specifically looks for best practices is presented to be used in both formative and summative evaluations of beginning teachers' reading instruction. The criteria are based on the vision of a highly…

Teachers who work with struggling beginning readers need a supervised training experience that leads them to understand both how reading ability develops and how to adapt instruction to meet the needs of individual children. The practicum, in which a teacher works with one struggling reader under the supervision of an experienced and expert…

Many reading problems are caused by using the wrong teaching methods. This article advocates using a reading style inventory and matching the teaching method to the student's reading style. The author holds copyright to this article. (Contains 3 figures.)

In this article, the author examines the troubled history of the relationship between research and practice in the area of early reading instruction. He describes how researchers have historically addressed controversies about reading instruction and explains why good research seems to have a delayed and limited impact on reading policy and…