Elementary students in urban schools tend to report lower reading ability than their suburban counterparts. The general problem is that poor reading ability can have a negative impact on students' performance, but there does not seem to be any clear method for addressing the issue within the urban school environment. The specific problem is that such low ability is particularly evident within the Tennessee, specifically within the Memphis school context with low reading and college-readiness rates. The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental study was to determine the success of a specific targeted professional development intervention in improving K-2 students' reading ability within the context of a specific urban elementary school in Memphis. Results of statistical analyses using scores from 187 under-performing kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade students indicated that the intervention group performed higher on the post-intervention DRA. Students whose teacher took part in the training demonstrated significantly higher reading ability than students in the control group, and support was found for the first alternate hypothesis. The findings indicated students in the intervention condition demonstrated significantly increased improvements in reading abilities compared to students in the control condition, and support was found for the first alternate hypothesis for this question. This outcome is significant as reading ability is linked with high school academic achievement, further school education, employment and social success as an adult. There is still a gap related to specific teacher professional development interventions and their actual success in improving K-2 learners' reading; hence, more research is needed. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]