The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to address the problem concerning the lack of research on how rural elementary school teachers describe their understanding and practice of ORF instruction in their classrooms, in the Southern part of the United States. John Dewey's conception of habits and reflective thinking was utilized to…

Research focused on identifying effective interventions for individuals with Down syndrome is increasingly informed by the behavioral phenotype -- a profile of performance associated with a genetic abnormality. Recent studies substantiate the efficacy of phenotypically aligned instruction in improving basic reading skills for children with Down…

As students' reading proficiency gaps persist across the United States, educational leaders have turned to alternative methods to foster effective instructional literacy practices. One approach to combat this dilemma is the implementation of scripted reading programs. The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of scripted reading…

The Read to be Ready campaign emerged from the startling reality of Tennessee's reading achievement data. Only one-third of Tennessee fourth graders scored proficient in the last administration of National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) in 2015. Equally concerning, students who fell behind in the early years almost never caught up in…

Reading comprehension--the ability to understand the meaning of text--is a foundational ability that enables children to learn in school and throughout life. Children who struggle with reading comprehension in the third or fourth grade are at high risk for dropping out of school, with detrimental effects on their future employment, income, and…

Research on educational administration from the past 40 years emphasizes the principal as an instructional leader. However, the research community has done little to specifically examine what literacy knowledge and practices elementary principals need to possess or do regarding literacy teaching and learning. Because federal legislation has…

The purpose of the present evaluation study was to examine the progress made in program implementation, school climate, and student achievement by the seven charter schools. A "mixed-methods" design, encompassing both qualitative and quantitative data, was employed. The questions upon which the evaluation methods are based relate to the…

Designed to develop an appreciation of folktales as a literary type and a love for the oral tradition, this unit on the telling of folktales from the oral tradition, with an emphasis on Appalachian tales, can be adapted for use as an introduction to the study of the short story; to begin a study of regional writers or regional literature; to…