More than 50% of fourth graders in the United States are reading below a proficient level, with more than 75% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch scoring lower than the U.S. average reading score. A framework of background knowledge is essential for vocabulary acquisition so the reader can comprehend the meaning of a text.…

In this study, we examine the social practices related to literacy in classrooms in Chile in order to examine school-based literacy practices. We also examined the constraints and affordances literacy learning offered Chilean students. Through our case study and cross-case analysis, we discovered that although the classrooms contained an…

The purpose of this research was to ascertain if the reading comprehension skills of English-speaking fifth grade students improve when they study a second language. The research was done in an inner-city elementary school in Rochester, New York. The researcher provided a weekly after-school workshop in foreign languages for a group of children…

The relationship of reading performance to difficulty level of material was the focus of this study. Participants in the study were 83 fourth graders from four urban schools. Each student was administered passages at different levels of challenge (independent, instructional, frustration) based on word identification accuracy. Passages were scored…

Describes efforts to improve curriculum and instruction at one failing urban elementary school by: using analyses of standardized test scores as the entry point for an assessment and intervention process; helping teachers understand their responsibility for better teaching practices; and providing intervention services and activities to enhance…

Examined preliminary achievement outcomes of the first years of direct instruction reading within six Baltimore elementary schools. Overall, members of the original second grade cohort were nearing grade level by the end of fifth grade in both intervention and control schools. Future research based on well-established program implementation might…

The purpose of this study was to document the workings of successful inner-city schools in teaching children to read. The study schools were identified by gathering poverty data on the proportion of the attending students who received free lunch or free milk and the proportion of children in the attendance areas who were from low income families.…

When Boston, Massachusetts teachers objected to a reading subskills management curriculum adopted by the city, a new elementary school curriculum was developed that emphasized broad general objectives at each level and reading comprehension. Teacher input played an important role in the curriculum effort. (PP)

Investigated the meaning to participating mothers of their involvement in a family literacy program in a low income, urban neighborhood. Interviews with mothers involved in the Family Reading Program indicated that mothers were concerned for their children's welfare, engaged in literacy practices, and utilized appropriate help from the school.…

The papers included this volume focus upon the reading problems faced by the child living in urban America. The scope of the papers encompasses such basic issues as "Social Variation in Language: Implications for Teaching Reading to Black Ghetto Children" and "The Training of Reading Teachers for the Disadvantaged." Other articles in this volume…

This study examined whether reading and mathematics performance of New York City Schools Under Registration Review (SURR) elementary and middle schools with extended time differed from performance of SURR schools without extended time in 1999-00. It also examined whether extended-time schools attracted more certified teachers and relationships…

Evaluated the effectiveness of Book Buddies, a volunteer tutor program designed to improve young elementary students' reading and writing skills, using diverse older adult tutors and a rigorous experimental versus control group design in a high-poverty, urban setting. Overall, students participating in Book Buddies were significantly stronger in…

A study was done to determine the 1988-90 sustained gains in reading or mathematics among students in grades two through five in Seattle (Washington). These students were not retained but given compensatory education for 1 of the 2 years through one of the following models: (1) a traditional "pull-out" approach in reading and/or…

An intervention designed to increase the reading skills, habits, and styles of low-performing elementary school students was implemented in the Dallas Independent School District (Texas). The issues surrounding implementation illustrate many of the problems of inner-city schooling and disadvantaged students and offer some solutions. The Reading…

This paper reports on a study of the relationship between teacher evaluation scores in a school implementing knowledge- and skills-based pay and classroom student achievement. The study occurred in a California charter elementary school that was 100 percent Title I, 100 percent free/reduced lunch, and had predominantly limited English speaking…