Direct Instruction (DI), commercially marketed by McGraw-Hill as Reading Mastery and Corrective Reading, is a bundle of highly scripted reading programs emphasizing phonics and phonemic awareness. This assessment considers 40 recently published studies on DI in order to consider the program's aims and efficacy as a means of teaching reading. Our…

Briefly describes the New Approach Method Pre-Reading and Reading program and defends the early reading education of preschool children. (ED)

Bringing together leading scholars, this book describes proven ways to enhance early literacy skills in 3- and 4-year-olds, especially those from low-income families. Presented are scientifically based methods and approaches that are being applied in Early Reading First programs around the country. Important topics include promoting oral language…

This report chronicles the record of the Reading First program as a research-based approach to teaching children to read, from early successes as a strict program whose funding would be distributed to states and districts using reading curricula whose effectiveness had been validated by scientific study, to one of eased eligibility that permitted…

This study was concerned with assessing both prereading and reading activities on the kindergarten level. A questionnaire survey was made of selected aspects of the content and conduct of the kindergarten prereading and reading programs in school districts throughout the state of California. The questionnaire used consisted of three parts: Part 1…

Many authors report data showing a high relationship between visual perception and early reading. This study dealt with the prediction of later reading from early Frostig test scores and the determination of existing relationships between Frostig treatment and reading skills two years later. Two hundred and seventy-four beginning first graders in…

After a review of the research related to the feasibility of initiating reading instruction before first grade, kindergarten curriculum guides from l3 large cities were studied and analyzed. These analyses indicated a trend toward less postponement of reading instruction, though reading readiness still tended to be defined in terms of oral…

In this volume, highly regarded authors in the field of reading research share what they know about today's hottest topic in education--Response to Intervention (RTI), the key to helping struggling students "before they fall behind." More than 30 expert contributors reveal what the latest research says about RTI's Three-Tier Approach:…

A 15-item questionnaire, completed by 93 superintendents of Connecticut schools, focused on the identification, program design, instructional strategies, and support provided for early readers, their teachers, and their parents. Responses to each item are summarized statistically, and the general patterns that emerge in each of these areas are…

The 40 articles in this collection deal with issues and problems in the learning and teaching of reading and offer suggestions for future policy concerning reading. The articles cover the entire reading field, including the relationships among language, intelligence, and reading; early reading schemes; extending reading; reading difficulties,…

This paper discusses some of the larger trends in present day American society and education, indicates how these trends are affecting reading, and points out some possible directions for future development. The trends discussed include "Sex Equality," which discusses sexism in basal tests, male teachers of reading, and the greater number of boys…

The purpose of this study was to measure the gains that culturally different 4-year-old children made in reading readiness activities and the acquisition of a sight vocabulary when exposed to an extensive prekindergarten reading intervention program. The subjects of the study were selected initially from a group of volunteer families. The subjects…

Data on beginning reading practices in 23 countries are presented in this report. Each entry provides information about the age at which children are introduced to reading; the methods, materials, and classroom organization used in the primary reading classes; and the involvement of parents and family in beginning reading activities. Selected…

This volume contains a selection of the papers presented at the fifth International Reading Association World Congress on Reading. Part one, "Reading: An Expanding Concept," contains papers that examine such topics as literal comprehension, miscue analysis, and children's literature and reading. Part two, "Some Implications for the…

A questionnaire on reading was administered to every student in the St. Joseph, Missouri, "Rainbow" program for gifted and talented readers. The same questionnaire was administered to a cross sectional sample of fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students in regular classrooms in the same district. Among other things, results showed that (1) 75% of…