District leaders in a large urban school district in central Florida wanted to examine the efficacy of a new curriculum designed to enhance the word knowledge of grade 5 students so as to improve reading achievement. The new curriculum, called Word Knowledge Instruction (WKI), consists of 15-minute lessons 4 days a week for 20 weeks. The lessons…

The Common Core State Standards have cast a renewed light on reading instruction, presenting teachers with the new requirements to teach close reading of complex texts. Teachers and administrators should consider a number of essential features of close reading: They are short, complex texts; rich discussions based on worthy questions; revisiting…

To graduate from high school and become competitive in the workplace and other postsecondary endeavors, adolescents are required to meet rigorous standards, such as the Common Core State Standards. To meet such standards, teachers must teach students to read and make sense of increasingly complex content-area expository text. Secondary teachers,…

Educational policy in the U.S. currently centers on college and career readiness, with the spotlight is on high schools to meet higher expectations for students' literacy achievement. Ever-rising expectations are consistent with the U.S. standards movement, now in its third iteration. As funding for school improvement becomes increasingly scarce,…

This study analyzed the impact of classroom based reading instruction ("direct instruction") on the standardized test scores of 6th grade students as measured by the New York State English Language Arts assessment (NYS ELA). It was hypothesized that the implementation of direct instruction in reading in grade 6 would improve NYS ELA…

Reading Improvement Through Art (RITA) program is an interdisciplinary approach to literacy that blends visual art with reading comprehension, evaluated in nine New York City urban high schools. 240 problem readers participating in the pilot program were pre- and post-tested in the Fall 1975 and Spring 1976 semesters. The testing showed the 9th…

Purpose, Scope, and Method of Study. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the curricular and instructional approaches of 3 Oklahoma elementary schools that demonstrated success in promoting and/or sustaining improvement in reading achievement. This qualitative study relied on a multiple case design utilizing participants based on…

We tested the effects of teaching reading skills through U.S. history content for 38 eighth-grade poor readers whose reading ability ranged from second-to fourth-grade levels. Half of the students received special education services, and half of the students were English language learners. Students were taught to decode multisyllabic words, learn…

We tested the effects of teaching reading skills through U.S. History content for 38 eighth-grade poor readers whose reading ability ranged from 2nd to 4th grade levels. Half of the students received special education services and half of the students were English Language Learners. Students were taught to decode multisyllabic words, learn…

This report, which is anchored in ACT data, focuses on steps for improving the reading skills of students attending this nation's high schools. The conclusions reported are based both on what ACT test scores inform about the reading skills of ACT-tested high school students who graduated in 2005 and trends derived from students who have taken the…

After an 3-year period of debate and consideration, Congress has reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Signed into law by President Bush in January 2001, the "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) Act of 2001 will bring many significant changes to schools nationwide. The purpose of this brochure is to help educators in…

To learn more about reading specialists (such as job requirements, certification, and opportunities) in Louisiana, a brief, one-page questionnaire was mailed to all principals of elementary schools in the state with a student population of over 400, to personnel directors of every parish in the state, and to directors of certification in all 50…

This article tells the story of young second-grade teacher and her quest to help students reach the New York state standards in reading. It is the yearlong story of significant professional growth highlighted by the conversations surrounding student learning. The collaborative conversations between the teacher, her colleague, and her staff…

This paper states that the unequivocal goal that Governor George Bush has set for the state of Texas is that "all students should be able to read on grade level or higher by the end of third grade and continue to read on grade level or higher throughout their schooling." The paper explains that the governor identified eight key elements…

Examines an educational statute in Texas that requires all third graders to pass a reading test before promoting to fourth grade. Discusses negative implications for literacy instruction. Examines the notion of measurement-driven instruction and skills-based classrooms. Finds the improvement of students' reading performance in Texas via…