Discusses Janice A. Radway's "Reading the Romance: Women, Patriarchy and Popular Literature." Argues that reading educators should consider a more general premise embodied in the book: in order to understand the appeal (or lack of it) of certain books, then educators first need to understand what the books are for the students who read them. (RS)

Discusses literacy in the author's own family and asks whether the term "family literacy" can really refer with any accuracy to any group of people or to any set of behaviors. Argues that literacy educators must resist abstractions and generalizations and focus upon the particularities that help shape the individual literacies of their…

The New Mexico State Library and the State Planning Office cosponsored a meeting to introduce Reading Is Fundamental to a wide cross-section of the state in September 1973. This meeting led to the establishment of numerous Reading Is Fundamental projects throughout the state in the summer of 1974. The planning, organization, execution, and results…

This article on what principals should know about reading addresses the issue of how to prepare students to become competent lifelong readers. It lays the foundation for bringing about high gains in reading motivation and achievement, and presents five basic premises and sets of recommendations for each premise. The premises are: (1) children…

Suggests ideas for teachers to involve parents in their children's reading development. (HTH)

After 20 years of working with "reluctant" readers of all ages, the author believes a teacher's own literacy is her best resource, best strategy, and only hope. Teachers with wide-ranging reading tastes can honor children's reading preferences while nudging them to try more challenging books. Encouraging a child to read Nancy Drew stories without…

Discusses factors related to reading motivation. Offers suggestions to enhance students' motivation to read for enjoyment and information. (SR)

Maintains that teachers must encourage the lifetime reading habit at school in independent reading. Discusses several ways to do so, including cluttering up the classroom with reading materials, providing time for reading, and encouraging the reading habit throughout the year. (SR)

Describes the shifts in the author's literacy in the three years she has been a mother. Discusses the two books she has had time to read for pleasure, as well as the books she has written and edited (in her role as a teacher educator). Shares how this reflects the fragmented, challenging, exhilarating existence of motherhood. (SR)

Presents a set of questions that are offered as suggestions to help students think and define themselves as readers. Notes that to encourage thoughtful, well developed responses, the questions should be spread out over a number of days or weeks. (RS)

The purpose of this study was to develop a profile of the literacy histories of developmental reading students enrolled in a South Texas college. A literacy history questionnaire was used to collect written responses regarding the students' early literacy experiences prior to entering the college setting. Analysis of the written responses…

Independent reading is a necessary adjunct to a school reading program. If caried out with commitment, it can greatly influence students' lifetime reading habits. Unfortunately, today's educators are so involved with reading instruction and competency testing that independent or recreational reading may become a lost art. This paper asserts that…

The reading process includes the ability to choose from a range of purposes, types of materials, and circumstances under which to read. (DD)

Highlights issues surrounding literacy, including imprecision in definitions of literacy and the extent of illiteracy, the importance of learning to read before fourth grade, special problems of minority children, and concerns related to those who can read but don't. Stresses the need to motivate people to value literacy. (DMM)

Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), Incorporated, has distributed over 57 million books in its 18 years. RIF programs have raised children's interest in reading and their levels of reading achievement, and have increased library use and parent involvement. The national RIF organization offers several forms of support for local programs. (PGD)