Advancing the literacy development of African American males in contexts that are characteristically urban has been a challenging task for educators across the P-12 spectrum. Frames that have been traditionally used to improve the reading achievement of African American males have not reversed trends in reading achievement that find many of these…

Charter school administrators weathered start-up woes, among them challenging students with unmet needs, verbal assaults, dwindling student enrollment, and a first-year budget deficit exceeding $200,000 to implement a reading improvement strategy that holds promise for helping at-risk students read better, a point particularly underscored…

Although over 15 years have passed since Witt (1990) noted that no empirical evidence exists to support the contention that a collaborative approach to consultation leads to more positive outcomes than a hierarchical or expert driven approach, this issue generally remains unaddressed (Schulte & Osborne, 2003). While the literature documenting…

The purpose of this case study is to describe the challenges one coach faced during the initial implementation of a coaching initiative involving 33 teachers in an urban, high-poverty elementary school. Reading coaches are increasingly expected to play a key role in the professional development efforts to improve reading instruction in order to…

This paper details the development and implementation of a feedback system designed to provide information to various strata of decision makers. Data were collected in each of eight city districts in the following areas of reading achievement: mastery of upper and lower case letters, mastery of phonic skills, level of sight vocabulary and…

The purpose of this study was to study recreational reading in third, fourth, and fifth grade urban students in a school district in Southeastern Virginia. The widely-used Accelerated Reader (AR) was the tool examined in the promotion of recreational reading. The major research questions determined if recreational reading, using Accelerated…

Describes a research study in which black paraprofessionals and black studies materials were used in two language arts classes of black students. Discusses the results in the light of teacher expectancy, students' interest, and the regress phenomenon." (RW)

Investigates a three-year reading club project, implemented in an urban school with kindergarten children for the purpose of promoting literacy. Shows a positive influence on children's interest in books, reading comprehension, and home reading experiences. (RS)

A study investigated the effects of a prior knowledge activation strategy on students' ability to successfully engage in the ongoing comprehension of extended text. Data were elicited from 79 ninth graders who were enrolled in a required social studies class in an urban high school in the Southeast. Equal numbers of high and low readers were…

Seven reading skill centers were established to focus on areas of need experienced by Philadelphia school children. Programs were individually prescribed, and children were assigned to materials and to center time depending on their individual needs. Coordination with classroom activities was provided as much as possible. Skill centers were set up…

The impact of ESEA Title I programs on reading competencies of elementary and secondary students in Northern Appalachia was examined. Fourth- and seventh-grade reading programs were assessed through samples taken from 74 different schools involving 1,429 students in 16 school districts within the Northern Appalachia area of Maryland, Ohio,…