This study examines the effectiveness of a reading comprehension strategy designed to enhance learning for participants with disabilities who come from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Specifically, a multiple probe design was used to examine the effects of a reading comprehension strategy on the summarization skills of English…

The present study explored (a) whether differences between students with and without ADHD in reading comprehension are explained by their executive functions, and (b) the unique and shared contribution of the various executive functions to reading comprehension ability. To address these questions, ninety-six adolescents with and without ADHD…

The 2017 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) findings indicate that only 37% of the nation's twelfth graders are at or above proficiency in reading and the average reading score for students with disabilities is under the basic skill level. Consequently, high school teachers are faced with developing targeted interventions to address…

While research on adolescent literacy and urban education have jointly advocated for more evidence of dynamic practices that positively impact youths' reading development, students in these settings typically receive instruction that focuses more on compliance and skill. In this article, I use a sociocultural perspective to present an ethnographic…

This experimental study examined the efficacy of a multicomponent reading intervention compared to a business-as-usual comparison condition on the reading comprehension and content area vocabulary outcomes of adolescent students with low reading comprehension. We randomly assigned 9th-grade students with low reading comprehension to a…

Discussion is a well-known tool for promoting reading comprehension in secondary-level English classes for students at all levels of reading skill, especially when the discussion promotes argumentation. However, researchers know little about how struggling readers use discussion, mainly because low-track English classes have tended to focus on…

Studies of high school literacy intervention classes have measured reading gains through standardized assessments, but few have considered the impact on students' identities. In this embedded case study, I used theories of identity and positioning to answer two research questions: How did institutional and interpersonal acts of positioning in two…

We examine the literacy gender gap through the documented experiences of 3 representative high schools boys and their teacher--how they view themselves as students, their dispositions toward schooling and education, and their engagement with literacy--as a way to further understand how literacy teachers can better work with them. We offer a case…

This study reports vocabulary and reading comprehension instructional practices implemented in middle and high school social studies and language arts classrooms. It also describes text reading practices. We conducted 137 observations of 11 social studies and 9 language arts teachers over the course of 1 academic year. We observed instructional…

This article presents a case study that examined the ways in which the boundaries of what it meant to be a "reader" were constructed and what counted as reading in a 9th-grade English classroom. Through the examination of 2 literacy practices (i.e., teacher-led shared reading and the reading of school texts outside of school), I explore…

A decade ago, the subtractive schooling of many Latino youth in the United States resulted in a devaluing of cultural identity and heritage as resources to support learning. Today, educators are urged to revalue cultural resources toward literacy development. This study explores the experiences of Latina adolescent students as writers during an…

The purpose of this article is to elucidate how book clubs can be used as a forum to enhance students' social-emotional and academic learning. The author conducted a study in a small urban high school with 2 different book clubs: The younger group consisted of 2 African American 9th graders, 2 Latina 9th graders, and 1 African American 10th…

The purpose of this article is to explore the use of reading aloud and maze Curriculum-Based Measures (CBMs) to evaluate the responsiveness of secondary-level English language learners (ELLs) to peer-mediated instruction. First, we briefly summarize research on instructional practices for ELLs, highlighting the need for further work to identify…

The transition to adult life for students with reading and writing challenges is an area that is not often addressed. The purpose of this article is to relate the informal assessment process to the broader context of high stakes assessment, high school exit exams, diploma options, and transition planning; identify the competencies needed for a…