In this article, we report on a cross-age peer learning program, the Martha's True Stories Reading Buddies program, focused on supporting the vocabulary and comprehension of multilingual learners and their peers in elementary school. We describe the principles of the program and provide information about our evaluation of the program. Then, we…

What reading programs have been proven to help students in grades 2-5 to succeed? To find out, this review summarizes evidence on three types of programs designed to improve the reading achievement of students in grades 2-5: (1) Reading Curricula (Curr), such as "Open Court," "Harcourt," "Reading Street" and other standard and alternative…

This article systematically reviews research on the achievement outcomes of three types of classroom approaches to improving the reading achievement of students in grades 2-5: Reading curricula, computer-assisted instruction (CAI), and instructional process programs. Study inclusion criteria included use of randomized or matched control groups,…

Tutoring has long been recognized as superior to group instruction, especially for students with special needs. Tutors can adapt instruction to the learner's pace, learning style and level of understanding. Feedback and correction are immediate. Basic misunderstandings can be quickly identified and corrected. Tutoring also has emotional benefits:…

Explains a tutorial program, in an Australian school, in which older students receive English grammar and language credit for their work in tutoring younger remedial readers. (MB)

Describes the Teens for Literacy project, in which teens come up with ideas to improve literacy in their schools. Notes that, in the nearly five years of the program, teens have developed a Big Brother/Big Sister reading program, selected and displayed posters in school corridors, developed videos promoting literacy, read with children, and…

Offering suggestions on setting up and maintaining a cross-age reading program, this book describes teachers' experiences in establishing a cross-age reading program in a multiethnic, multilingual inner-city school in Oakland, California. The book notes that what began as an effort to engage one under-achieving fifth-grade boy evolved into an…

A study was designed to examine the effectiveness of repeated reading in fluency and comprehension. A cross-age reading program was used to give students a purpose for rereading material. The children in a second-grade classroom in a private school in suburban New Jersey were randomly assigned to two sample groups. The experimental group read to a…

Peer tutoring and other innovative uses of students in teaching roles have received considerable attention because of the academic and social gains which can be observed among participating children. Teachers who want to try peer tutoring often encounter difficulty in devising workable programs for their own classrooms, however, because most…

The purpose of the program described in this report was to improve reading and other basic skills of third- and sixth-grade children by providing a program in which sixth-grade children tutored third-grade children. Three classrooms of third-grade children and three classrooms of sixth-grade children were involved in this endeavor over a…

Studies low-achieving fifth-grade readers to evaluate the feasibility of a cross-age reading program and to clarify implementation details for a large-scale project. Finds that quantitative results and qualitative data suggest that cross-age reading programs are a promising way to help poor readers to improve their reading. (MG)

A low-cost reading program at De Anza Junior High School, Ontario, California, designed to motivate reluctant junior high school readers and to develop an early interest in books in preschool children is described. A background history of the Preschool Story Hour is given and sources of books are suggested. Junior high students who may be…