In school districts across the nation, diverse student groups, including English Learners and students with disabilities, have been experiencing significant gains in reading performance after using READ 180. This compendium of READ 180 research contains results of 40 studies conducted in a variety of settings, in school districts across the…

A popular approach for improving students' literacy skills is school-based literacy or reading coaches--specially trained master teachers who provide leadership for the school's literacy program and offer on-site and ongoing professional development support for teachers so they can improve the literacy skills of their students. To understand the…

This purpose of this research study was to investigate the role of effective principals and how that role relates to the improvement of adolescent reading skills. This research study identified three strategies that were utilized by principals in an effort to develop effective reading skills in adolescent students which are: (1) effective program…

The purpose of this study was to examine three seventh grade R180 teachers' perceptions regarding the local setting factors and role of the teacher impacting the program's implementation across the three middle schools. The conceptual framework guiding this study was derived from the Scholastic R180 Logic-of-Change Model, which depicts an…

The "National Dropout Prevention Newsletter" is published quarterly by the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network. This issue contains the following articles: (1) Reading Is Vital!; (2) The Significance of Early Literacy Efforts in Preventing Later Failure (Susan King Fullerton); (3) Middle School Intervention Strategies For At-Risk Youth…

Analyzes pre- and post-test measures of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) of oral reading fluency and reading comprehension collected from a sample of middle school students in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the computer-based Reading Plus and Guided Reading program. Obtains significant differences in discrepancy ratios from pre- to…

Finds that the 35 middle-school language-arts teachers studied agreed that Self Selected Reading (SSR) is an important way to improve students' reading attitudes and achievement, but that their schools rarely provided funds for buying student-preferred materials, and that finding time for SSR was difficult because of the pressure to prepare for…

This book offers middle and high school principals (with or without a background in reading instruction or curriculum) the tools to help teachers and lead their schools to reading excellence. The book presents the current status of student achievement in America, links the importance of reading to learning, clarifies the learning process of…

Discusses a study in which learning disabled or educationally handicapped middle school students received a daily treatment of 20 minutes of phonics instruction and demonstrated gains on both the Wide Range Achievement Test and the Gray Oral Reading Test. (AEA)

In the fall of 2001, a local middle school decided to implement a new elective course. This course was designed to assist struggling middle school readers in acquiring the reading proficiency that would be required to succeed in higher level course work. Students remained in their regular English classes, but devoted the elective period that their…

Assessment is the tool used by educators to determine the beginning skills of a student, to show development of new skills, to increase learning, and to monitor areas needing improvement so that learning is ensured. Though many barriers still remain regarding validity of tests, reforms are being made to include the aspect of environment of test…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a Maryland State Compensatory Reading Program at the middle school level. Specifically, the study attempted to determine the effects of silent reading practice on reading achievement and on student attitudes toward reading. Subjects were 74 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students…

This study describes a program designed to improve reading achievement. The targeted population consisted of primary and middle school students in two communities in northern Illinois. Both communities were suburbs of a major metropolitan area and the status of family incomes ranged from low to middle levels. Evidence for the existence of the…

Presents an in-depth description of one school's successful online mentoring program which is focused on middle school students reading below grade level. Discusses program specifics; role of college mentors; online discussions; test results; and results summary. Includes a sample calendar of assignments and samples of messages between student and…

Discipline records and reading test scores revealed that students in the Redding Middle School (Middletown, Delaware) were achieving low reading scores while the number of discipline referrals remained high. This report of a practicum project shows how the school's teachers and administrators succeeded in changing the direction of this trend,…