This book is intended for preservice and inservice training of teachers of elementary reading. The contents discuss: current emphases in reading instruction and research supporting each of the approaches; the stages of reading development as well as the various materials and activities used for teaching each level; the basic reading program,…

A study examined the effectiveness of an integrated language arts instructional format for teaching reading compared with the effectiveness of the typical traditional reading program. The study investigated the effectiveness of approaches that are representative of both viewpoints of the reading process (i.e., word recognition and the construction…

Reports a study which looked for measurable differences between the vocabulary achievement scores of remedial reading elementary students (mostly Hispanic) taught with teacher instruction and those taught with computer assisted instruction (CAI). Although the differences were not statistically significant, consistent improvement was measured for…

A case study is presented of a second-grader whose parents receive a report that her reading and mathematics achievement is far below grade level, based on a newly implemented computer-based assessment and intervention program. Discussion concerns her previous grades, assessment results, the constructivist theory-based curriculum, and legal…

To refocus its professional development plan, Chaska Middle School East (Minnesota) looked at where student achievement was lagging. Using the Killion back-mapping model, a student-focused, data-driven, multi-step process by which teachers gather and study student data to determine where professional growth, development, or training is most…

There is abundant theoretical support for the value of Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) at the elementary school level, but there has been relatively little research to document its effects. This paper explores the relationship between DAP and student achievement among low-income students in St. Paul, Minnesota, using research from an…

The program presented in this practicum was implemented to increase a target group of intermediate teachers' awareness of reading styles and strategies to improve students' learning in an urban elementary school. The setting for the project is a five-year-old public elementary school representing a broad range of socioeconomic backgrounds and…

This report describes a program for measuring student growth in the reading and writing process in order to improve achievement. The targeted population consisted of first- and second-grade students in three schools serving two suburban communities, located near a large midwestern city. School enrollment figures were 350, 399, and 669 students.…

Building on an international survey including nearly 10,500 teachers and 200,000 students in 32 countries, this booklet presents empirical data relevant to the controversial issue of how children should be taught to read. The booklet examines a broad spectrum of teaching conditions, teacher characteristics, and instructional practices and relates…

In implementing a districtwide reading project emphasizing staff development for middle school level teachers, the Moore County, North Carolina district conducted a study to determine whether middle school children could exceed their prior reading growth rates over a three-year period. Students from grades four through eight were pretested in the…

The guide describes how to use a 9-point system to teach 11 high-interest, low-level novels about Indians and teenagers to students reading at levels 1-8. The nine steps are (1) determine student's instructional reading level, (2) determine level of novels to be read, (3) choose novel at student's instructional reading level, (4) introduce novel,…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. Among the topics dealt with in the 22 titles are the following: (1) the influence on reading ability and behavior of instructional objectives, the answering of self-generated questions, writing in the expressive mode, instruction in…

The effects of student socioeconomic status (SES) and four teacher behaviors--teacher structure, teacher affect, cognitive level of questions, and group size--on student reading achievement were analyzed. Subjects were 36 fifth and sixth grade classroom teachers and their 820 students. Data were collected with the Reading Comprehension Subtest…

This paper represents a first year evaluation of an innovative educational program instituted in 1976 in the Cornelius Elementary School, Charlotte, North Carolina. Designed as an attempt to meet children's developmental learning needs the project represents an attempt to put the developmental theories of Piaget, Bruner and other psychologists…

This study investigated whether students using Project English experimental materials and procedures in seventh-grade language arts classes received quantitatively measurable advantages over those studying with more traditional teaching materials and techniques. From a group of 324 subjects attending two schools in Indianapolis, 83 were taught…