"Policy Perspectives" presents visiting authors' own views and/or research on issues relevant to schools and communities nationwide. The idea that reading skill is largely a set of general-purpose maneuvers that can be applied to any and all texts is one of the main barriers to our children's overall low achievement in reading, argues…

Schools are raising standards to improve academic and technical achievement and intellectual growth for all groups of students, particularly at-risk students. This newsletter contains tools and strategies that school leaders and teachers are using successfully to help students meet higher expectations. It organizes the techniques into five…

Described are impressions of the Writing to Read program. The program is described and the apparent advantages are stated. General observations include teacher and student impressions of the program. (CW)

This book offers middle and high school principals (with or without a background in reading instruction or curriculum) the tools to help teachers and lead their schools to reading excellence. The book presents the current status of student achievement in America, links the importance of reading to learning, clarifies the learning process of…

When your school wants to do more to improve the literacy skills of secondary school students, here's a leadership plan that takes your program in a bold, new direction. Instead of focusing on isolated teaching strategies and textbooks, the authors introduce you to a whole-school program that emphasizes: (1) Exposing students in all subjects to…

Evaluates the report of the Commission on Reading, "Becoming a Nation of Readers," which focuses on giving attention to classroom teaching, testing, and teacher education. It gives recommendations for changes in the way reading is taught and includes the list of 17 recommmendations from the report. (MD)

Each year at the Greater Lawrence Technical School (Massachusetts), students are identified who lack the necessary basic skills to successfully complete a typical high school program. This problem led to the development of an alternative instructional program designed to accomplish remediation in the basic skills using computer-based instruction.…

Intended for educators and program planners, this guide provides program information and planning ideas for maximizing opportunities to increase the basic skills of undereducated children, youth, and adults. It is suitable for use by those with or without expertise in the basic skills areas of reading, math, writing, and oral communication.…

This document presents school principals' points of view on school and student improvement, using the real life experiences and practices of principals within Chicago's schools that have over the past few years shown the most improvement. Principals from 32 schools discussed their leadership style and strategies that contributed to school and…

Reading skills are crucial to the academic achievement of students at the middle and high school levels. Do your students have the strategic reading skills they need to succeed? Do your teachers effectively integrate reading instruction into their classes? What do your teachers do if they have students who have difficulty reading? This third…

This guide discusses the basic requirements for administering Federal Work-Study (FWS) America Reads Challenge programs and outlines specific requirements related to FWS-funded community service positions. These programs offer colleges and universities an opportunity to help improve the reading skills of preschool school and elementary school…