A study determined whether a pattern of continuing failure in reading for three remedial second graders could be changed and the students brought to grade level as measured by the Ginn Reading Program, when taught with brain compatible techniques (including active learning, cooperative learning, feedback, individual instruction, and risk taking).…

An action research study described and evaluated a program for improving the reading comprehension of targeted first, second, and third grade students, in a progressive suburban community in northern Illinois. The problem was noted by the researchers, who in recent years had observed a need for improvement in reading comprehension as indicated by…

A study examined the "Summer Opportunity to Accelerate Reading" (S.O.A.R.) program, which provided early intervention to accelerate literacy learning for at-risk students entering grades 1-3 in the fall of 1998. Subjects were 388 students enrolled in 3 S.O.A.R. campuses from 37 Austin Independent School District (AISD) elementary schools…

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…

The 1987-88 Compensatory Language Experiences and Reading-Recovery (CLEAR-RR) Program of the Columbus, Ohio Public Schools was implemented to provide early intervention to 393 underachieving first-grade pupils in Columbus, Ohio schools who appeared unlikely to learn to read successfully without intensive instruction. The program's two major goals…

A study investigated the use of riddles beginning with How, When, and Why to see which question type was easier for low-achieving students to answer correctly, and to see if practice could increase the number of correct answers chosen. For comparison purposes, scores were also collected for an average-achieving group without practice, to see if…

A case study examined the whole-part application of the language experience approach to reading as used for students whose reading development is severely delayed. The subject, a third-grade female student reading on the first-grade level as determined by the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-Revised (Woodcock, 1987), participated in a reading…

As part of a longitudinal study of the acquisition of reading skills, a study tested kindergarten children at the beginning and end of their kindergarten year. The children were also observed for nine full days in their classrooms. Subjects were approximately 650 children in two cohorts. Data were collected in three school districts in Illinois,…

A study gauged the effects of peer tutoring on the reading skills of first graders. Subjects were 250 children divided into eight experimental and four control classrooms in a school district in Utah. Teachers were trained by researchers, bearing in mind five procedural principles: (1) appropriate modeling by the teacher, (2) extensive dialogue,…

Project Upswing is a pilot study sponsored by the Bureau of Educational Personnel Development, U.S. Office of Education, designed to determine whether first grade children with minimal learning difficulties can be aided by volunteer tutors. A major goal is to determine whether children receiving this personalized assistance make more progress than…

The reading progress of 96 disadvantaged children from kindergarten through grade 3 was analyzed to determine rate and consistency of reading growth as estimated from several reading measures. Although steady growth was observed on all measures, rate and consistency varied with the type of reading measure used, as well as with the specific test…

Discusses an approach to early reading instruction that emphasizes "real" books and parental involvement. Contains a list of "dos" and "don'ts" for use by parents in helping their children read. (DF)

This study describes a program designed to increase student background knowledge in order to improve reading comprehension. The targeted first grade class is located in a Midwest, middle class, metropolitan community. More than half of the school's population is identified as low-income. Evidence for the existence of the problem was obtained…

A study examined a program entitled "Summer Opportunity to Accelerate Reading" (S.O.A.R.), which provided early intervention to accelerate literacy learning for at-risk students completing kindergarten through grade 2 in 2000-01. Subjects were 2188 students enrolled in 12 S.O.A.R. campuses. Ethnicity was diverse with 58% Hispanic…

Describes how a resource specialist and five third graders struggling to read made student self-evaluation a centerpiece of their work together. Describes the improvements achieved as students learned to evaluate their own reading and writing, set their own goals, and plan their own learning. Tells how students confidently presented their…