The three-fold purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the impact of the computer-based reading program Fast ForWord (FFW) on the reading achievement of second-grade students in an Ohio school district. The sample included 360 students (treatment group, n = 85; control group, n = 275) from four elementary buildings. FFW is an…

This study was undertaken as an attempt to assess the effects of storytelling and reading aloud on fourth and fifth grade children's comprehension and oral reading fluency of both narrative and expository texts. The independent variable involved two strategies for introducing stories to children (storytelling and story reading) and a comparison…

Community colleges play an important role in providing first and second generation immigrants access to higher education and the opportunity to earn a postsecondary credential. However, immigrant students may face obstacles in pursuit of a postsecondary degree, particularly second language challenges that can inhibit their success in college-level…

Purpose, scope, and method of study: The primary purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teacher-licensure level in the New Mexico Three Tiered Licensure (NM 3-TL) System and gains in student academic achievement in reading and mathematics in grades four and five. A secondary purpose was to determine whether student…

In "Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control" (1997), Albert Bandura writes, "Teachers operate collectively within an interactive social system rather than as isolates" (p. 243). Bandura's attention to the existence of the communal systems that exist in schools is an appreciation shared by many educational reformers, especially those who advocate…

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires that all public school students, including English language learners, achieve proficiency in reading, math, and science by 2014 as measured on state assessments. English language learners enrolled in public schools for the first time receive a 1-year deferment from these state assessments in subjects…

The teaching of reading is a critical element of elementary education. Educators are divided about how to prepare reading teachers. This qualitative case study contributes to understanding the phenomena of reading teacher preparation. Descriptive research methodology and NVivo software was used to systematically examine the nature and content of…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the journey of a suburban middle level principal, as she led a school through an educational change process. This was a single case study design involving the school leader as principal participant, and the researcher as participant observer. The theoretical model that was developed for this…

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to determine the effects of implementing the instructional program "Dr. Cupp's Readers," a multiple intelligences learning approach, in conjunction with a textbook that follows a more traditional approach to reading instruction. Twenty students who were identified as being at-risk and…

Students with weak reading skills are at risk for school difficulty. Among the indicators of reading difficulty, reading fluency is a strong predictor of overall reading problems. A multiple baseline design across small groups of students was used to evaluate the effects of explicit oral reading fluency instruction. Based on universal screening…

This study examined the impact of the Four Powerful Comprehension Strategies on comprehension achievement and reader self-perception of struggling readers in grades three, four, and five. The study also observed the relationship between the intervention and learning style processing preferences. There is a need for effective reading intervention…

Purpose and Method of Study. The purpose of this study is to examine the lived experiences of six first-grade teachers using Reading Mastery Plus in schools participating in the Reading First Grant. This study will also describe the teachers' experiences of working in a school participating in the Reading First Grant. First-grade teachers were…

Recently the National Reading Panel concluded that systematic and direct instruction in phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension that is informed by ongoing assessments of student progress results in positive student achievement (NICHHD, 2002). For students with moderate to severe disabilities and students with…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has mandated that all public school students will be reading at grade level by the 2013-2014 school year. Florida has embarked on an agenda to ensure that the kindergarten through high school student population is reading at or above grade level by 2014. Many of Florida's low-performing student population,…

This study examines the impact of various types of preschool care and education on the reading achievement of children, kindergarten through fifth grade, who participated in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K). The participants in this study are located throughout the United States of America. These…