The purpose of this action research project report was to increase reading fluency for 38 third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students. The teacher researches collected data from a Parent Survey (n=26), Student Survey (n=38), Teacher Survey (n=12), and Teacher Interviews (n=4) for a total of 80 participants. Data was collected from September 8, 2011…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the Distar Reading and Language Program as a method for beginning reading instruction. The subjects in the Distar group were 24 prekindergarteners, 60 kindergarteners, and 68 first graders. There were 24 children in the control prekindergarten group, 61 in the kindergarten, and 72 in…

This report discusses a program to increase student self-esteem in order to improve student reading achievement. The targeted population consisted of students in grades first, second, and third. The study took place in the northwestern suburbs of a large metropolitan area in Illinois. The problems of low self-esteem and low reading achievement…

An action research project described a program for improving reading skills and comprehension through the use of parental involvement. The targeted population consisted of primary students located at four different sites in Northern Illinois. The problem of low reading achievement was documented through data revealing a large number of students…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between attitudes toward reading and the reading skills of a population of adults who are good readers. Two hundred adults enrolled in eight reading classes were involved in this study. Initially a reading test and a form of the Semantic Differential were administered to all subjects.…

Effects of assignment to a regular classroom, to a resource room, or to a remedial reading group were examined in a study of gains in reading achievement of 49 elementary school boys. Measures used included the Slosson Intelligence Test, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, the Primary Mental Abilities Vocabulary subtest, and the…

This report describes a program for increasing students' reading fluency and comprehension by giving them a variety of skills and strategies. The targeted population consisted of two elementary schools in a growing, lower to middle class community, located in central Illinois. The problems of lack of reading strategies were documented through data…

This report describes a program for advancing reading skills in order to improve reading scores and individual achievement. The targeted population consisted of elementary students in a middle class community located in a Midwestern state. Standardized test scores and local assessment scores revealed that many elementary students were lacking the…

This report describes an action research project improving student academic reading achievement. The targeted population consisted of fifth grade students in a growing suburb of a major midwestern metropolitan area. The evidence for existence of the problem included student surveys, assessments, teacher observations and checklists. Analysis of…

This action research project investigated various reading strategies to increase reading comprehension and vocabulary skills. The targeted population consisted of students from three elementary schools and one junior high school, located in lower to middle socioeconomic neighborhoods. Two elementary schools and the junior high school are located…

The purpose of this study was to determine if a paired reading program had a significant effect on first grader's reading achievement. Fifteen students in the experimental treatment were randomly paired to read stories. The study took place over a period of 10 weeks in a small suburban school district. Fifteen other students in the control…

This project paper described a program for increasing reading comprehension. The targeted population consisted of sixth grade students at River Bend Elementary School in a middle class community located in western Illinois. The problem of a steady decline in reading comprehension was documented by the Illinois Goals Assessment Program, Iowa Tests…

A program was developed to improve the reading scores and communication skills of ninth-grade students from multicultural backgrounds. The students' socioeconomic status ranges from below the poverty level to upper middle class. The population of the high school in suburban Chicago (Illinois) is multiethnic, the English is not always the primary…

The purpose of this project was to design and implement an approach to learning to read which concentrated on reading for fluency rather than on phonetic skills methodology. Thirty-four fifth grade children in a school in a lower middle class neighborhood participated in the program. Children were told they could select and read any book in the…

The purposes of this study were to determine and describe the effects of using the work-attack element of the Wisconsin Design for Reading Skills Development (WDRSD) as an instructional management system for improving the reading skills achievements of pupils in K-3. The subjects for the study were 1,759 pupils in grades K-3. The dependent…