Read for Good commissioned the National Literacy Trust to evaluate the outcomes of their new pilot intervention, Stories in Schools. Stories in Schools uses professional storytellers to deliver enjoyable literacy workshops targeted at reluctant or struggling readers over a six-week period, in particular pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM)…

Summer setback, which is defined as a decline in academic achievement over the summer months, occurs in many academic areas but seems especially problematic in reading. We assessed students from a midwestern parochial school serving predominantly students from a low--socioeconomic status background for their reading achievement before they left…

The traditional classroom educational approach has been unsuccessful in helping special education and non-special education students who are not proficient readers. The problem addressed in this study was that a large number of American children are experiencing difficulty learning to read. One possible way to help students learn to read is…

The main purpose of schools is to improve the academic performance of all students and more recently with special regard to those that have historically struggled to meet state achievement goals. In an effort to attain these goals, educators have utilized many approaches including enhancing student self-esteem as a precursor to improving the…

A study examined whether allowing students to make choices in their reading program significantly increased their self concepts as readers and the value they place on reading. The Motivation to Read Profile was administered to 20 fifth-grade students from a variety of socioeconomic families. After allowing the students to make choices in their…

Can students identify the practices that motivate them to read? If asked to evaluate which components of a reading program are beneficial in motivating them, can they identify a particular practice and explain why it was helpful? These were the two major questions asked of 22 fifth-grade students reflecting on their fourth-grade experience. A…

An action research project studied the attitudes and achievement of low-achieving fifth-grade students after participating in a 1-year heterogeneously grouped, literature-based reading program. The project explored the changes in student attitudes towards reading, and changes in students' knowledge in comprehension and vocabulary development.…

A study attempted to determine how students in literature-based reading programs compare to students in basal-based, skill-oriented reading programs in terms of their interest in reading. The study was carried out on a sample of 215 pupils in 9 third and fifth grade classrooms from school districts in Eastern Kansas and Northeastern Oklahoma.…

Describes a "Talents Unlimited" program, based on the work of Calvin Taylor, that was used successfully in a class of fifth-grade remedial readers. Includes some of the activities devised by members of the class. (FL)

Studies students' reading achievement by implementing instructional techniques designed to intensify students' awareness of their responsibility for their performance. Finds that an internal locus of control is associated with reading achievement, attitude toward reading, positive self-concept, and personal responsibility for academic outcomes.…

Ten suggestions that can help the elementary school teacher expand and enhance the basal reading program are (1) collect additional material on the authors, genres, and art media found in the series; (2) supplement the program with audiovisual and human, as well as printed, resources; (3) meet with other staff members to plan the curriculum; (4)…

A study investigated how students felt about the "extra" reading activities and opportunities offered to them through an after-school recreational reading program. Ten fifth-grade students who were deemed most critically in need in terms of academic progress were observed in the after-school reading activities and were interviewed. Six…

Although the highly popular Accelerated Reader (AR) book reading incentive program claims to motivate children of all reading ability levels, very little independent empirical research has examined this assertion. To help fill this void, we used two related three-factor mixed designs with Method (AR vs. Control), Gender, and either Grade Level…

A study examined the beliefs of parents in relation to their responsibilities and the school's responsibilities in the area of teaching reading. Parent interviews were conducted with three sets of parents of children receiving remedial instruction and two sets of parents of gifted children, all in fifth grade. All parents were from a rural area…