Learning to read at a young age continues to be one of, if not the most, important skill for children to acquire. Even though there is an extensive amount of research written about how to teach young children to read, a gap in the literature exists in the direct role of the elementary principal in the process. Because of the necessity for direct…

The principal of a southern Arizona elementary school, to be referred to as SMD Elementary School, had seen a drop in the standardized test scores for reading among the fourth and fifth graders, and she wanted to enable the students to improve their reading achievement. The goal of this study was to determine if New Century Reading, a…

We present results from early learning programs in six African countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda. In partnership with ministries of education, RTI International has worked within government systems to support the design and deployment of locally contextualized materials, training, and assessment tools, with the goal…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of using guided reading instruction to increase overall reading achievement in elementary students over the course of three months. Twenty Kindergarten students with varying reading achievement from a Title I school in Georgia were examined in the study. Students were divided into five groups…

This article is aimed to study the problems of reading and improve reading culture of students-bachelors of elementary education in modern high institutions and development of the most effective methods and techniques for improving of reading culture of students in the study of Humanities disciplines. The leading method to the study of this…

The field of literacy education has long been concerned with the question of how to help classroom teachers improve their practices so that students will improve as readers. Although there is consensus on what characterizes effective professional development, the reading research on which this consensus is based most often is small scale and…

Many studies show that school leadership is a key factor in supporting change within schools, but few have specifically considered the impact leadership has on gains in students' reading outcomes. This article focuses on factors that typify leadership in schools where such gains have been identified and explores the nature and quality of…

Over the past decade, Americans have become increasingly concerned about the high numbers--and costs--of high school dropouts. The time is now to build a similar consensus around this less-recognized but equally urgent fact: The pool from which employers, colleges, and the military draw is too small, and still shrinking, because millions of…

Concludes that the extra attention paid to children during the administration of reading tests does not have a significant effect on test performance and that the Hawthorne effect does not influence reading test results. (RB)

This issue of a monthly serial publication of the National Education Goals Panel (NEGP), which is available only online in PDF Format, examines efforts underway in Colorado, Maryland, and Montgomery County, Maryland to increase student achievement in reading (related to Goal 3 of the NEGP). After an overview, it discusses Colorado's efforts to…

This topical bibliography and commentary provides an overview of current thinking on the role of phonics in reading instruction. It discusses the value of phonics, phonics and phonemic awareness, the need for explicit instruction, principles in phonics instruction, and recommended instructional procedures. It concludes that findings from research…

The Fact and Fiction Research Project, funded by the ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) and based at the School of Education, University of Southampton (England), completed a 2-year study into gender and reading in the 7-9 age group. The project, designed to address boys' underachievement in English by reviewing their development as…

Developing a community of people interested in improving student reading achievement is an ongoing trend in education. Time and effort need to be put forth to become engaged in studying and promoting reading achievement. With high stakes state-mandated testing, it becomes even more important for teachers, school administrators, and the lay public…

The principal of a Montana elementary school using direct instruction methods discusses the positive results students and school are experiencing as a result of the students' reading success. (MD)

Indicates that there has been an increase in the standard of reading for meaning for fifth grade pupils in Australia between 1946 and 1971. (TJ)